April Ninth
by Andrew Joshua Talon
Summary: Lt. Colonel John Shepherd always does end up in the strangest places... Crossover with Stargate: SG1, Stargate: Atlantis, and several Final Fantasies.
1. Chapter 1

_Bit of a silly diary series. Crossover with Stargate: Atlantis and complete AU of everything from "No Man's Land" to Misbegotten"._

_Colonel Shepherd always does seem to get trapped in the weirdest places, doesn't he? _

_April 9th, 2006_

Well, I really doubt that you guys'll ever get this. But I don't have a volleyball, so what the hell. Plus, these sphere things are just really cool anyway.

Right, where was I… This is Lt. Colonel John Shepherd, United States Air Force, of the Atlantis Expedition to the Pegasus Galaxy. Now, where and when I am…? Well, I'm just guessing, really. The date I gave at the top is two weeks after the day I first came to Spira. It might be the same world I crash landed on when pursuing the Wraith hiveships through hyperspace… It might not. Hell, it might not even been the same year. Makes my head hurt.

I remember the hyperspace field of one of the hiveships flaring up as I tried to fly in and latch on, sending my fighter spinning out of control and right back into normal space with a blinding flash. Blinking spots from my eyes, I was able to make out a large, blue blob quickly growing bigger and bigger in my canopy. That was about the time I hit the upper atmosphere of a _planet,_ the hull of my 302 burning bright orange as I descended. I tried to pull up, but my plane wouldn't respond, until I'd already cleared the upper atmosphere, torn through the clouds, and was skipping along the surface of an ocean like a literal rock.

Fortunately for me, the 302 is buoyant, or I wouldn't be here talking right now would I?

I managed to open my canopy, looking in all directions for some land… Or a ship. Which I wasn't looking for, but hey. They fished me out of the water. "They" being a little hard to define. They were humans, at least, decked out in some bizarre kind of diving suits slash armor. I couldn't understand a word they said, until one of them (this very cute blonde girl) started speaking something close to Atlantean Ancient. Close enough so that I could understand them, anyway. I got the gist: This world was called 'Spira', they were of the Al Bhed (a tribe or city-state or something), and I had been incredibly lucky to have come down near them as they were on their way home from a salvage operation.

They'd picked up another guy who also couldn't speak their main language. His name was Tidus, near as I could tell. The girl's name was Rikku.

Tidus claimed he was from a thousand years in the past of this world from someplace called Zanarkand. Rikku was of the opinion he'd gotten too close to Sin, this huge monster thing that's been terrorizing this world for at least that long. Sin toxin can affect the mind in a lot of unpleasant ways. I had to agree-The guy was a real twit. Total brain-dead jock. Whoever had given him a sword, and left him out in the middle of nowhere, had a twisted sense of humor.

As if my life hadn't been stressful enough, I finally got to meet Sin.

Have you ever been to a beach where a dead whale has washed up, and it's the middle of summer, and this whale for one reason or another has not been noticed by the local population until they could smell it from a mile away inland? Sin was like that, only a hundred times worse. I'd have taken _anything_ other than that God forsaken odor, with hundreds of tentacles and this gigantic, hideous fin looming above you, ready to sweep down and crush you like a bug.

Instead of getting turned into paste by the Fish Monster from Hell, it sent out a huge wave that blew me and Tidus off the ship and into the drink. I remember struggling to get to the surface, even as the beast's next waves struck. Training kicked in, and I saved my strength, riding the wave until I could stick my head above water and gulp down some air before plunging back in. By the fifth, maybe sixth time, I was exhausted. Even with the inflatable life jacket I was wearing. A wave bigger than anything that had come before rose up above me, sweeping me like so much lint from a jacket, causing me to black out.

I didn't expect to wake up again… Much less floating in the shallows of a tropical paradise.

Even better, I had arrived at the same island as-you guessed it-Captain Braindead

Guys, if you ever find this sphere doo-dah, and Tidus is still alive, PLEASE keep him from reproducing. I'm dead serious.

_April 10th, 2006_

Stupid battery…

Yeah, well… Long story short, apparently, there are these people called Summoners on Spira, who can "summon" these huge, powerful monsters called Aeons for fighting and such. Don't ask me how. It seems to be connected to their religion called Yevon, which was establish after the destruction of Zanarkand, 1,000 years ago. There are, obviously, a lot of holes in the story.

Anyway, the Summoners go around Spira, from temple to temple, collecting Aeons, until they're ready to go to Zanarkand and call the Final Aeon to defeat Sin. Unfortunately, they can only defeat Sin for ten years at a time (periods called "Calms"). However, given what I saw Sin do? I think that ten years of Calm is worth a road trip.

The summoners go along with Guardians as bodyguards. And this particular summoner at this temple (a rather pretty girl named Yuna) asked me to come along as another Guardian. Why?

Because she apparently has a thing for strays. She picked up Blondie, after all.

No, no… That's really not fair of me. I mean… After some creative "questioning" of the priesthood, I found out that the price the Summoners pay for defeating Sin at all is death. Wakka, a guy who uses his blitzball (explain that later) as a weapon in his job as one of Yuna's guardians, begged me to not say anything about it. It's kind of an unspoken sadness thing around here.

My question is why no one's tried to stop Sin without the Summoners dying? One nuke from _Daedalus_ would sure as hell take that oversized lobster out.

Still… If I'm going to find the Al Bhed who picked me up, and picked up my plane, I need to get to somewhere that has connections. And Luca, where everyone else is going, seems to be the best choice I have at the moment.

And God… _Someone's_ gotta come along and make sure this girl doesn't die before she gets to her destination. At the moment, she's got a blue Chewbacca, the redheaded stepchild ball-thrower, Miss Gothic Witch, and Captain Braindead. I'll be amazed if she gets to the boat in the morning without dying with this crew along.

_April 11th, 2006_

Well… Looks like I do believe in magic.

Lulu the Goth Witch can actually use magic. McKay'd be drooling over a chance to study that ability of hers… Not to mention Lulu herself. Definitely one of those cultures with open-minded women and cool technology.

Unfortunately, aside from Kimahri (the blue Chewbacca wanna-be), Lulu, and me, the rest of our 'team' is not exactly SG-1. Tidus may be able to do some cool stuff with his sword, but he's already smacked himself in the head twice with the dull part. Wakka's ball throwing is just, well… Pathetic. I tried to get him to use my sidearm, but then he went off on some rant about "forbidden machina", so I withdrew the offer. We've wasted most of our medicine on reviving the bonehead this morning alone.

And Yuna? Well… Valefor (her Aeon) is sure something else, but Yuna herself looks like a strong burst of wind would bowl her over. Still, she's got conviction. Willing to go and kill Sin, even if she dies too? That takes guts. You wouldn't expect it from her, resembling this Japanese schoolgirl.

Oh God… And now, Tidus the Bleached is trying to hit on her. I think I'll take out a few extra fiends in front of him, just to get the point across…

_April 12th, 2006_

Thank God for the absurd amounts of ammo I pack into my backpack. After the Sinspawn attack, the fiends on Killika, _and_ that run in with Lord Ochu? I'm down two clips already on my P90. Out of six. Total.

Lulu was able to "synthesize" me a few extra rounds, using some local materials (i.e., a few knives and coins), but barring any more armies of Sinspawn, I think I'll be all right.

Blitzball is Spira's football. Basically, it's the one thing everyone on the planet can agree they like. I drew a diagram of the game, but I lost it somewhere… Anyway, it's a fun-looking game. I tried a few practice rounds with Wakka's team, the Aurochs. I had to drink this special potion that lets you breathe underwater. Very cool.

Turns out my high school football training really pays off in this game! Wakka wants me for defense. I suppose I need to contribute something to keep "Religious Psycho" off my back. Why not blitzballing? Besides, I can't shoot for crap. It's like soccer. Which I failed miserably at in high school.

If I can contact Atlantis, we have GOT to get some of these potions and what-nots. One sip and cuts that would have become scars are _gone._ Zap. Eat that, Mr. Clean!

Note to self-Make sure to keep Tidus away from the Ether, whatever it is (smells like turpentine mixed with naquada. Yech). He's been trying to use 'Haste' to rush around for fun like a monkey on crack.

Yuna's asked me to talk about where I'm from. I've tried to be as, er… Discrete as possible. Me being from another planet is about as believable as Blondie's statement that he's from one thousand years in the past, from a city now considered holy by the Yevonites. But, she can somehow see that I'm _really_ not from around here. Oh yeah, not even close.

I decided to start teaching her how to use my sidearms. The 9 millimeter would suit her just fine, I'm thinking. I've taught her how to conceal it, and safely fire it. It'll be for last-ditch self-defense, a real worse-case scenario… Thing. Yuna is delighted. Wakka is, predictably, ranting about Yevon again. Lulu is doing that whole 'raised eyebrow' thing, Khimari is shaking his head, and Captain Braindead thinks I'm macking on 'his girl'.

So, when do we get to the tenth level of hell?


	2. Chapter 2

_Well, in response to a number of questions posed by the readers, here's a non-diary chapter for your perusal and qualification. Enjoy!_

* * *

"Feh… He ain't Al Bhed, but he sure act like it, ya?" Wakka groused, watching John Sheppard sitting out on the moonlit deck of the ship. Lulu rolled her eyes nearby. 

"He did volunteer to play for the team did he not?"

"Yeah, well, blitzball's one thing. It's not written down in Yevon, ya?" Wakka shook his head. "It's pretty specific about machina? And here he is, usin' one like it don't matter. Like he ain't gonna get killed because o' it and take us with 'im."

"Oh no you don't," Lulu stated icily. "Don't you dare bring Chappu into this." Lulu looked out onto the deck, watching the black-haired man kicking around a blitzball awkwardly.

"I… I wasn't!"

"First, you give Tidus Chappu's old sword, now this," Lulu sighed in exasperation. "Focus on the now, Wakka. Not the past. It didn't help with our last summoner, did it?"

"… No, I suppose not," Wakka sighed, crossing his arms and looking out over the moon light dancing across the waves.

* * *

John sighed, closed his eyes, and tried to recall the steps leading up to the kick-off his soccer coach had shown him back in high school. It was a pretty long time ago… Not that long, mind you, but still long enough for the muscle memory to have descended to the back of his mind. He strode forward and kicked, sending the ball spiraling directly upwards, until it bounced off the superstructure of the ship and flew right back at his face. 

"Gah!" He caught the ball, but lost his footing and crashed to the deck in a very ungraceful heap. John groaned, as a feminine giggle emerged above him. He looked up blearily, and saw Yuna watching him, her hands behind her back.

"Er… Believe me, that's usually a whole lot more impressive," John explained, shaking his head and running a hand through his unruly hair. Yuna laughed a bit harder, walking over and taking the ball from his hands as he got up.

"I would imagine so." Yuna smiled at him kindly as he got to his feet. "So… You promised to tell me where you came from some time before?" Sheppard inwardly groaned.

"Well, er… I was, kind of… We were in a bit of a fix, then… Kind of dramatic moment?" At Yuna's amused expression, he rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay… So… What do you want to know?" Sheppard tossed the blitzball up in the air and caught it easily, spinning it around on one finger.

"What is this 'football' you speak of?" Yuna asked. Sheppard smiled.

"Well, it's a really big sport back where I come from… Basically, there's this large field, about, well… Maybe three times the length, and twice the width of this boat, okay?" Yuna nodded. "Well, every tenth of the field in length is marked out by white lines… Ten yards, twenty yards, and so on. At either end of the field are field goal posts-"

"Field goal posts?" Yuna asked, blinking. Sheppard shrugged.

"Yeah… for field goals." At Yuna's blank expression, Sheppard coughed.

"It's… Complicated. But fun… Trust me." Yuna tilted her head thoughtfully.

"So… Where is your home?" Sheppard laughed wryly at that.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Yuna smiled prettily back.

"Try me." Sheppard stared at her, mentally shrugged, and cleared his throat.

"All right… I come from a planet called Earth. I'm, well… An alien, I guess you could say." John pointed up at the sky. "Earth is in a distant galaxy, called the Milky Way. We call this galaxy the Pegasus galaxy." Yuna nodded thoughtfully.

"How did you get here?"

"I was following this evil alien starship through a hyperspace jump… But, I guess I didn't follow fast enough to keep up with them, because I fell out of hyperspace in orbit around Spira," Sheppard continued, unconsciously making sure no one else was within earshot. "And my ship crashed because I was too steep in the gravity well." He looked at Yuna expectantly. She smiled and shook her head.

"I only understood… Perhaps half of that." Yuna shrugged. "But, well…"

"No crazier sounding that being thrown a thousand years into the future, right?" Sheppard asked. Yuna smiled sadly.

"I suppose not." She shook her head and looked at him carefully. John fidgeted.

"Er… Something on my face?" Yuna smiled again.

"You never had to deal with Sin on Earth?" Sheppard shrugged.

"Not… How you mean it, no. No huge giant monsters trying to wipe out civilization, if that's what you mean." Yuna nodded.

"There must be a lot of people there, then." John nodded with a grin.

"Yeah… Cities, like, a hundred times bigger than Killika island."

"Bigger than the village?" Yuna asked.

"Bigger than the whole _island,_" Sheppard corrected. Yuna gasped, her smile growing.

"Really? Wow… How do you not get lost?" John shrugged.

"Well, we have maps… And this thing called GPS… And if all else fails, you ask for directions." Yuna nodded, and walked past John, looking out over the sea. John, blinking slightly, followed, standing next to her.

"Will you… Show me Earth, someday?" She asked. John shrugged.

"Sure… Why not? I mean… There isn't exactly a tight schedule to your pilgrimage, is there?" John asked softly. Yuna's smile became sad once more.

"We Summoners… We are the hope of Spira. We give people hope for new Calms…"

"Yeah, but… No one said the Calm had to be right now, right?" John asked. "There are other summoners… One of them might defeat Sin… And that'll let you have a break. Your own Calm for a while, right?" Yuna laughed quietly.

"Yes… I suppose…" She sighed. "Still… As Lord Braska's daughter, I am expected to defeat Sin."

"And die?" John asked quietly. Yuna swallowed audibly.

"… Yes. But… If it makes my people safe, and happy… Then I am willing to do it. I think that's worth a life, right? To give people freedom from Sin, if only for a little while." John sighed.

"Well… If my people ever find me, I promise… We'll find some other way of defeating Sin. And we'll make it so no one else ever has to die in defeating it. I promise." Yuna looked at John steadily.

"That's quite a big promise," Yuna replied quietly. John smiled back, handing her the blitzball.

"The important ones always are."

* * *

_More revised chapters to come! Stay tuned!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

_And we're back on the air… _

_

* * *

_

"HEY LUCA GOERS! WE'RE GONNA KICK YOUR ASSES LIKE THE BALLS YOU WISH YOU HAD!" Tidus bellowed on top of the cargo containers through his megaphone. He the jumped up and whooped, much to the amusement and excitement of many in the crowd.

In addition to the exasperation of one Lt. Colonel John Sheppard.

"Oh for… What is that moron thinking?" Yuna giggled next to him.

"Well, at least we're getting some attention. Look! We're on the sphere!" Jassu pointed out with a grin. John followed his finger and looked up at the large displays dotting the area. He grinned.

"Hey… TV! Cool." Yuna looked at John confused.

"TV?" John coughed, and tried to find the proper translation in Ancient. None forthcoming, he went with," It's like the spheres… Only, in boxes." Lulu raised an eyebrow.

"Boxes?" John nodded.

"Or flat screens. Some even bigger than those ones," he said, pointing up at the huge, building-covering screens. "A LOT bigger. You should see the Jumbotrons at our football stadiums." Wakka shook his head.

"Everything's bigger with you, ya?" Sheppard grinned.

"Pretty much, yeah." Yuna hid a grin as Wakka rolled his eyes.

"Well, let's be getting to see the Maester, ya?" The blitzballer headed off, the rest of his team following, along with the Summoner and her guardians. Tidus looked over at Yuna curiously.

"So, what are these Maesters anyway?"

"They're the leaders of Yevon, who interpret and govern according to the Book of Yevon," Lulu explained, rolling her eyes. "Are you sure you weren't brain damaged before you were poisoned by Sin?" John couldn't help but snicker at that, even while he got an annoyed glance from Tidus.

"Hey! Like I'm not the only one lost here," he pointed out. John shrugged.

"Yes… The difference is, I actually stop talking and listen, before I open my mouth. It's a good skill to put on your sphere grid." Tidus glared at the colonel, even as they finally arrived at the Maester's dock with hundreds of other people all clambering for a look at the leaders of Yevon.

"Woah… Who does he think he is, the Dalai Llama?" Sheppard muttered upon spying Maester Mika, stepping off the boat surrounded by guards and priests. Tidus grimaced.

"And what's with that guy's hair?" The Zanarkander asked, indicating the tall, blue-garbed man who followed Maester Mika.

"I would like to introduce you all to Maester Seymour, who recently assumed the title due to the unfortunate passing of Lord Jyscal, of the Guado Nation," Mika spoke, his voice amplified by some unseen method. Seymour looked out into the crowd, and his gaze settled on Yuna, who blushed and looked away at the intensity of his stare. John blinked and frowned, staring back at the Maester while covertly moving himself in front of her. The Maester approached, and Wakka hissed at John,"Hey! What are ya doin? Move! He's comin'!"

_Bad vibes. Seriously bad vibes,_ Sheppard thought. Nevertheless, he moved out of the way, allowing Seymour to look upon the still flustered-looking Yuna.

"Lady Yuna… It is an honor to meet the daughter of Lord Braska," Seymour stated in a smooth and regal tone. Yuna did the Yevon prayer, her eyes still facing away.

"Maester Seymour… It is an honor to meet you. My condolences for your father," she spoke, finally getting her eyes up to the Guado's and speaking in a clear, polite voice. Seymour smiled at her, a smile that made John tighten his grip upon his P90 involuntarily. Seymour looked over at Sheppard, raising a single, elegant eyebrow.

"Hm… I do not recognize those markings upon your uniform," the Maester stated. John shrugged.

"They're a bit out of date," he replied nonchalantly. He nodded respectfully. "Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. I'm with Lady Yuna." Seymour's smile became more pronounced. Sheppard could feel Tidus tense up behind him, and was secretly glad that he wasn't the only one getting a bad feeling from this Maester. He had a perpetual expression of knowing something you didn't, something that you _really_ needed to know.

"A military man, then? You do not appear to be of the Crusaders." Yuna stepped forward, smiling kindly.

"He is a member of the United States Air Force," Yuna explained cheerfully. "A nation… Very far from Spira. He ended up here by accident." Seymour nodded.

" United States? Do they know of the enlightenment of Yevon?"

John bit back the first reply that came to mind, and instead said, "Er, we've heard good things about it. I think we'll wait for the movie to come out though, before we make any long-term decisions." Seymour looked momentarily puzzled, before Maester Mika called out to him from behind. He demonstrated the prayer to Yuna, which she returned (as did Wakka, Lulu, Khimari, the Aurochs, and John, just so he wouldn't attract any more attention than he had), and went on his way in slow, measured steps.

"Now there's a guy who's never in a hurry," John commented. Wakka frowned.

"Hey, he's a maester of Yevon! Show some respect, ya?" John blinked innocently.

"What? All I said was that he couldn't be in a hurry… What with those robes? He might trip… And fall… And mess up his hair…?" Wakka continued to glare, thought Tidus was hiding his laughter behind his gauntlet. John shook his head.

"Nevermind… Just, nevermind…" He'd dug himself in far enough.

* * *

After the team was situated in the locker room, Tidus, Yuna and Lulu headed off to go find Sir Auron, apparently an old friend of Yuna's father. John suited up into his Blitzball gear, largely stuff borrowed from the other team members. He shook his head at how… Restricting the stuff felt.

_Maybe that's why they haven't won a game in twenty-three years,_ he thought dryly, as Wakka called a huddle.

"Allright… We're up against the Al Bhed Psyches first this year. If we can beat dem, we've got a shot at the finals, ya? So just keep in mind, they focus heavily on passin'. Keep 'em tightly contained and keep the ball away from 'dem." The door opened behind them, and John turned to see a note stuck to the door. He walked over and retrieved it, opening it. Unable to make out the words, he turned back.

"Uh, Wakka?" He handed it over to the Besaidian coach, who read it over. Wakka's jaw dropped to the floor. "What's it say?"

"It says if we don't throw the game against the Al Bhed Psyches, we'll never see Yuna again!" Wakka gasped. John's eyes widened.

"What!" Tidus, Lulu, and Khimari burst into the locker room, looking out of breath.

"Have you guys seen Yuna?" Tidus asked. John grabbed him and thrust the note into his hands. Tidus gasped.

"Oh great! Now what do we do?"

"Those stinkin' Al Bhed!" Wakka snarled, punching the locker room wall hard enough to crack it. "We gotta… I gotta…!"

"Look," John began in his 'command voice', which everyone paid attention to. He was secretly glad about it. "Look, Wakka: We need to keep this quiet. If it gets out into the public, they may panic and kill her anyway. So, you guys go, and play as hard as you can." Wakka gaped.

"But… But-!" John grabbed Wakka's shoulder, and looked him in the eyes.

"We're not going to let these guys get away with it, okay?" John stated, slowly and calmly. "Lulu, Khimari, and I will go save Yuna. Lulu will, uh… Put up some kind of magic… Signal thing, when we've got her." He pulled Wakka closer, boring into the blitzballer's wide eyes.

"You have got to show them you are not about to be intimidated, allright? You go play, and kick their asses. Hopefully, they'll be too focused on the game if you act like nothing's wrong to worry too much about our approach."

"WHAT! But-But they'll-!"

"They'll be confused, Wakka! They will wonder what the heck's gotten into you! Which will put them off balance. Which will make our job easier in rescuing her," John emphasized. "We'll get her back. I promise."

"Hey! What about me?" Tidus asked, looking incensed. "I should go too!" John raised his eyebrows at him.

"After the stunt you pulled today, for you to be absent in the first game will look mighty suspicious," John stated flatly. Lulu nodded.

"He's right… Wakka, you need to be our distraction. All of you! You need to play like you've never played before. Yuna's counting on it… for once," she snorted. Wakka, gritting his teeth, took a deep breath, before turning to his team.

"All right… You head 'em, men. Let's get goin'! You too, Tidus!" With twin warning looks at John, Tidus and Wakka headed into the stadium, the team following. John turned to Lulu and Khimari, pulling off his blitzing gear and pulling back on his fatigues.

"Khimari, can you follow Yuna's scent?" The Ronso nodded gravely. John nodded back.

"Good. Let's get going then!"

* * *

_Will John, Lulu and Khimari be able to save Yuna? Will Tidus and Wakka defeat the Al Bhed Psyches? And what is with these short chapters with exceptionally rhetorical questions at the end?_

_All this and more, next chapter!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Huh, usually I'm too busy to come out with proper chapters this fast. Oh well!

* * *

_

"Okay, maybe it's me… But don't you people have laws against leaving killer robots out on the street?" Lulu rolled her eyes at Sheppards comment, as she blasted another Al Bhed machine to sputtering, sparking debris. Khimari whipped around his spear at another, shattering its metallic head and sending it flying into a nearby wall. John opened fire on the last machine, his P90's armor-piercing rounds blowing right through the ancient weapon and rendering it scrap metal.

"Yevon forbids machina like this… But the Al Bhed do not follow Yevon's teachings," Lulu explained, though with less exasperation than she had demonstrated towards Tidus. John raised an eyebrow.

"Still doesn't explain why nobody's called the cops… Police... about killer robots prowling around," the American pointed out. Lulu nodded with a sigh.

"Most Yevonites avoid the Al Bhed at any cost… We usually only meet through blitzball." John nodded thoughtfully, blowing apart another Al Bhed machina with his sub-machine gun before taking off in a run, managing to keep up with Khimari despite the Ronso's larger stride. Lulu lagged a bit behind, having to hold up her heavy dress and run at the same time.

"Dock 4, right?" John asked Khimari. The Ronso nodded, and used his spear like a pole vault to leap over another set of machina, before driving his spear through it's back and chest in a single, smooth movement. John raised his P90 to take out a second robot, but Lulu's lightening blast took care of it before he could fire. His eyes widened as he looked back at Lulu.

"Down!" Secretly John was glad Lulu trusted him enough to follow his instructions without question; he opened fire on a machina that had been sneaking up behind the black mage from its hiding place in a cargo crate. The robot squealed and sputtered as it blew apart under the onslaught, and Lulu rose again with her customary grace after Sheppard stopped firing.

"Boat leaving," Khimari growled in his broken speech. John turned and ran flat-out, leaping over and between cargo crates and boxes to get to the departing ship. Khimari pole-vaulted again, leaping effortlessly to the back of the Al Bhed ship… Only to be knocked off the aft end by yet another machina and into the developing gap between the dock and the boat with a terrific splash. John leapt next, barely grabbing onto a railing ringing the deck of the Al Bhed vessel and pulling himself under, before rolling to avoid the machina's strike.

"Swell… Why is it always down to me?" John muttered.

_Because none of your teammates are as reckless as you are, except maybe Ronan._

_Not now, brain,_ John ordered silently, blowing apart this machine with a short burst of weapons fire like the ones before. The deck shuddered, and John looked up to see a machine the size of an SUV standing on the deck. It's thick armor plating opened up to reveal several machine guns.

"Oh sh-" Sheppard began, as he rolled behind the only cover available-a decrepit-looking crane-as the machine opened fire. Bullets whizzed past his head as he ducked out of his cover long enough to fire a short burst. He saved his dismay that the P90 couldn't cut through the machina's armor until he had ducked out of harm's way once more, the bullets of the weapon bouncing off the crane with a high-speed pinging.

"Okay, that's not good," he muttered to himself. Looking around him, he saw the crane and slapped his forehead. _Duh!_

"-_ohn? John, can you hear me? John?"_ Startled, John felt around for his radio, amazed that someone was calling him on it.

"Uh, yeah? Who is this, over?" There was a confused pause on the other end, then:

"_Lulu. You dropped your pack when you jumped onto the ship."_ John looked back at the dock and groaned when all he could make out of Lulu and Khimari were a pair of slightly-differently colored blobs. Luca City was swiftly moving out of sight. The machina's onslaught paused, and John peeked over the crane to see the machine begin to reload its ammo. John leapt into action, beginning to press several controls on the crane… Which did nothing.

"Lulu! Do you know how to work a crane? Over?"

"_Just turn it on and move the joystick. Why, what's wrong? … Over."_

"This one isn't working. Maybe it's broken?" John asked. "Over."

"_Stand back. I'm going to try something. Over."_ John obliged, thankful that the armored machina apparently took so long to reload its ammunition. He yelped when a lightening bolt struck the crane, and its motor began to start up.

"Oh… Right. Power." John grabbed the controls and clumsily maneuvered the crane arm over the machina. Unable to find the control to make its claw open, Sheppard shrugged and swung the crane to knock the machina off the side of the boat, where it swiftly sank out of sight due to its weight. John sighed, and tucked his P90 into a special back harness he'd gotten in Killika. He then pulled out his two 9 millimeters, knowing that close quarters combat could get really ugly if your weapons were too cumbersome…

Abruptly, the hatch on the back of the ship opened, and Yuna stepped out, looking calm and collected. A blonde man wearing goggles fell out behind her, as she smiled shyly. John blinked.

"Um… hi," John said intelligently. Yuna nodded and smiled at him.

"Hello."

"… I'm, er… Here to rescue you…" John shrugged. Yuna giggled.

"Thank you! I'm glad."

"Yeah, but, uh… You seem to have everything in hand," John commented, looking at the beaten Al Bhed with a wince. "Ouch… What exactly did you hit him with?"

Yuna spun her staff around in answer. John whistled.

"I, er… Also used the gun," Yuna explained, looking a bit guilty. "Just, um… What did you call them? Knee caps?" John nodded.

"Good. They didn't hurt you, did they?" Yuna shook her head. John nodded, and pressed the talk function on his radio.

"Lulu, Yuna's allright. We're going to find a way to turn this boat around. Send the signal to Wakka, over?" A burst of green light flashed over the dock in the distance, announcing Lulu's reply. John nodded and turned back to Yuna.

"So, uh… Do you know how to pilot this thing?" Yuna shrugged helplessly.

"Sorry, no…" John nodded.

"Guess we'll have to wing it, then."

* * *

The Al Bhed ship crashed into the dock, sending debris and cargo containers flying everywhere before it ground to a halt. Lulu and Khimari peeked over the small stone wall they'd taken cover behind, and moved when they saw John and Yuna clamber out of the pilothouse and over the debris.

"Did you hurt them?" Lulu asked of Yuna, motioning to the ship. Yuna looked down and blushed, muttering in the affirmative. Khimari snorted at John but said nothing more, simply taking up a position next to the Summoner. John follow the other three as they headed back to the stadium. John looked up at the sphere screens and whistled.

"Nice… We won, huh?" Lulu nodded.

"Wakka wouldn't play to his full potential, but they were leading them 3 to 2 when I sent my signal. After that, they scored two more times and the game was over. They're facing the Luca Goers for the championship." Yuna held up her fingers to her mouth, and blew a loud whistle, startling her guardians. She grinned.

"I did it! I got it!" She exclaimed happily, smiling at them all. John couldn't help but smile back, the young Summoner's good mood was infectious. He couldn't help but wonder if being stuck here was all that bad…

* * *

_Next chapter, the crew of _Atlantis_, having narrowly saved the world from the Wraith once more, start looking for the good colonel, while Yuna and her Guardians battle Sin Spawn attacking the Luca Stadium._


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, you guys asked for it. And I aim to deliver. _

_Now, on the rampant crossing over of other Final Fantasies? All I can say is, within Stargate, it could work. Very well, in my humble opinion. (shrug) Maybe it's me?_

_Warnings: Spoilers for Season 10 of Stargate: SG-1, and lots of back-story I haven't written yet. That is all._

"So… The applications for Presidential Medal of Freedom?"

"Didn't go through."

"I won't ask about the Medal of Honor, then. How about the Legion of Merit?"

"Again, too much red tape and secrecy."

"Can't you just not put them down on the registry?"

"Nope, because then the medal makers would report over a dozen of them missing from their stocks, and people would ask why." Daniel groaned, rubbing his forehead. General Landry smiled, leaning back a bit more in his plush leather chair.

"Relax Doctor Jackson… AVALANCHE's heroism wasn't overlooked that last time. It won't be here either. As a matter of fact, General O'Neill's planning the whole thing." Daniel blinked.

"… Beer and TV?"

"No. Party. Cake. Ice Cream." Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Maybe some roman candles." The startled look on the archeaologist's face was soon replaced by a deadpan expression. Landry's smile grew.

"And he wanted it to be a surprise, too, but he can't have everything."

"He wanted-? Nevermind. Of course…" The 'Gate activation alarm went off, as Walter's voice sounded through the small office. Landry raised his brow at Daniel, who rose.

"Now then, Dr. Jackson, I believe you have a few heroes of the galaxy to welcome in the Gateroom." Daniel smirked.

"Always wondered how it felt to be on this end..."

Daniel soon arrived at the gateroom, the security detail nodding to him respectfully. He nodded back, and watched as three figures emerged from the active Stargate.

"Honestly! Why didn't those morons listen to me until they'd nearly blown up the continent!" Ranted Dr. Rodney McKay, as he stalked down the ramp. The ever vigilant Ronan Dex, a specialist in the now-destroyed Sateadan military, followed close behind. The last figure brought a broad smile to Daniel's face.

She seemed so delicate. Slim and pale, her long brown hair tied up in a long ponytail behind her. A red jacket over a pink dress revealing her teenaged figure, and in those large, clunky brown boots she seemed almost like a child playing dress-up.. Large, expressive green eyes, a cupid's bow mouth in a seemingly perpetual smile, and a light blush to her cheeks, however, revealed her for the woman she was. A woman who had seen things, done things, that Daniel had done. Where they had dulled Daniel, however, it only made this woman shine even more brightly.

This was Aeris Gainsborough...

"Miss me?" She asked quietly, almost teasingly. Daniel nodded.

"Yeah..."

"Uh, sorry to interrupt the loving gazes, but can you direct me to the nearest vending machine? I'm about to fall over, I swear to God," McKay huffed. Daniel smirked.

"I think we've got something better, Doctor..."

* * *

"Well, there we were, trapped in the Wraith hiveship," McKay was relating to a throng of eagerly listening women, later, in the SGC commissionary as the party was now in full swing. "When Michael busted us out. He then took Ronan and myself to a secondary control room, where I was able to interface with the Wraith computer and started using some of the backdoors I'd made into their systems. But! We had no time to, say, start an overload, so I just altered their navigational systems to head for Planet, instead of Earth, before we…"

Nearby, Samantha Carter, Aeris Gainborough, and Daniel Jackson observed the Canadian scientist's tale, Carter in particular looking amused.

"He's actually getting most of it right this time," Sam noted with a grin. "Rather than, you know, exaggerating certain parts." Aeris hid a giggle.

"Well, he did execute a brilliant plan… To rely on the Planet's Lifestream to destroy anything it perceives as a threat to its life. Which the Wraith qualified as." She winced. Daniel smirked.

"Of course, he forgot that the Lifestream can only be activated as a weapon when it's under the direct control of someone with an Ancient gene." Aeris shrugged.

"Honest mistake…" Sam sighed and shook her head.

"Daniel, I'm just glad you mentioned to the Ori that Planet had some of the last living Ancients on it… They headed immediately there. Let us kill two birds with one stone… In a manner of speaking." Daniel shook his head, and looked over at Aeris. The flower girl shrugged, and Daniel sighed.

"Yeah, well, I didn't mention it. They knew… It's only thanks to Vincent and the others that we made it at all." Daniel's head turned from the sudden silence, his eyes finding Vala Mal Doran across the room. The alien woman met his eyes, hers laughing, but in an instant they flashed pain and looked away. Vala resumed her spirited conversation with Teal'c, her laugh still being heard across the crowded commissionary, but seemingly… Off.

"Adria… Is still hurting her, isn't she?" Aeris asked. Daniel looked at her, a frown at the small hand she held against his back. Aeris pointed to her heart. He sighed heavily.

"She won't… Talk to me. After I… We destroyed her." Daniel shrugged. "She was still her child, after all…"

"Don't beat yourself up, Jackson," Cameron Mitchell interjected, standing next to his comrade with a drink in his hand. "She just needs time. To grieve. Like anyone else." The lt. colonel turned to Daniel and looked him in the eyes, an unfamiliar seriousness in the younger man's gaze that Daniel couldn't recall. "We saved the galaxy. It always comes with a price."

"War is always like that," Aeris noted philosophically, looking at her drink with unseeing eyes. "Sacrifices… It's part of the deal. Our price for victory always seems to be sadness." Sam unconsciously looked at Aeris' chest, and vividly remembered seeing Sephiroth's seven-foot long blade plunge through it. She could still remember Cloud's roar of fury, Daniel's gasp of horror, and the look in Aeris' eyes as the light went out.

The four were silent for a few moments.

"… How is Cloud?" Mitchell asked out of the blue. Aeris turned to the colonel and shrugged.

"He married Tifa… They look after orphans now in Midgar. Run a delivery service, too." Mentally, Mitchell kicked himself. He'd just risen the awkwardness meter by an order of magnitude.

"… Oh." Aeris nodded, smiling sadly. Daniel tensed nearby and Sam discretely rolled her eyes.

"They're very happy together… Though they wish you would come visit them more often." An impish smile came to her face as she shot Daniel and Sam a look. "Preferably, not just when Sephiroth's clones start trouble and Shinra goes ahead with stupid ideas."

"About Shinra," began Mitchell. Daniel groaned mentally. "Um… How're things with them?"

"They've opened the Stargate up to public usage," Aeris explained. "Anyone with 100 gil can go visit other worlds. They had to get it out of Hojo's lab, though-Not an easy thing to do."

"Where is it now?" Asked Daniel. Aeris smiled.

"In Midgar's new "spaceport", where the Wall Market used to be." The former flower girl giggled a bit. "Most of the former residents now work there, just moving their shops into the terminal and resuming business like nothing happened."

"Must be quite a commute for out-of-towners," Mitchell mused. Aeris shook her head.

"Not really… There are two sets of rings-One for Costa Del Sol, and one for Wutai. It's done wonders for tourism. And, of course, airships run around the clock." She turned and smiled at Sam. "None of which would have been possible, if not for you."

"Well, er," Sam began, smiling. "I did have help." Mitchell grinned as Daniel shook his head in bemusement.

"I loved that file… In your fifth year of operation, you accidentally gated to the world P1F-124, otherwise known as Planet, while escaping Anubis's forces. The Stargate was in the lab of the psychotic Dr. Hojo, who worked for Shinra, a corrupt company that basically ran the whole world, and was killing it by sucking the Lifestream, kind of like Planet's circulatory system, out for power."

"You'd think that Shinra wouldn't have been that stupid. The Cetra died because they had been connected to Planet through the Lifestream so long that when Planet suffered, they suffered," Sam sighed, shaking her head. "I mean, Planet is _alive._ If it dies, everything on it dies!" Aeris shrugged with a sad smile.

"The Cetra, unfortunately, weren't able to warn the humans they saved from the Goa'uld that had come to Planet to settle. The first Meteor had forced many to either "disconnect" from the Lifestream and live more or less as a normal human, or die. Too many years, too few who remembered…"

"So, wait… I thought that the Ancients just created humans, they weren't, um…" Mitchell coughed, and looked over at Daniel. "Little help, Jackson?" The archaeologist turned and smiled at the flower girl.

"Thanks to Aeris, we found out that the Ancients used early human DNA to clone themselves new bodies… In order to survive the plagues of the Ori. Since the Cetra were isolated from the rest of the galaxy when the second wave hit, three million years later, they met what their bodies would have evolved into when they defeated the Goa'uld Susannoo." Aeris nodded, shrugging a bit.

"If it isn't broken, don't fix it," she said with a smile. The old excitement of relating a discovery emerged in Daniel's voice as he went on.

"I mean, this explains why the Ancients used the Dakara device _well_ before modern humans ever appeared! They were reshaping the galaxy to suit _human_ life. Originally we'd thought that this meant that they were the original humans, but it turns out that _we_ were the originals, they were just the first to have this form," Daniel concluded, indicating himself. Mitchell whistled.

"Yeah, but what about the fact that there are humans in the Ori galaxy?" Daniel pursed his lips, letting out a frustrated breath.

"Well, that's the problem, isn't it?"

"It wouldn't be very hard for the Ori to gate here, steal some of the Ancient's human tech, and use it to create, well… Batteries," Carter suggested, then tilting her head. "Not like we'll be able to ask any of the humans there right now about it." Aeris nodded thoughtfully.

"If the Holy Materia was still working, we could provide enough power to the Stargate on Planet for such a mission… But we drained it." Sam smiled wanly.

"Yup… Just like the ZPM we used in Earth's defense the _last_ time. Speaking of which, we've been working on some ways to use our naquada reactors to power the chair." Aeris shrugged.

"Think you could use them to power Planet's defenses?" Carter grinned wryly.

"Considering how powerful Holy was? Not a chance." Mitchell frowned, and raised a finger in question.

"One thing I don't get… Materia's, like, what? Little Ancient ability balls or something?" Sam smiled, and took a deep breath. Lecture mode fell upon her.

"Not exactly… Due to the unique radiation and dimensional-bending properties of the Lifestream, thoughts and experiences of those beings connected to it get "imprinted" on ordinary crystal, like quartz, or small desposits of naquada, and shape them to "absorb" the "stray thought" energy. It's akin to electron capture theory within the Dirac Sea, only instead of a vacuum you use a field of leptons and other base particles spatially aligned with the…" Mitchell's eyes began to glaze over as Carter went over the physics of psionically-produced particle waves and various quantum reactions of elements to subspace radiation. Daniel and Aeris discretely slipped away, leaving poor Mitchell to his doom.

"Sorry about-" Daniel began, but Aeris held up a hand to stop him. She smiled kindly at him.

"It's allright. He is always eager to learn… It's actually rather cute." She shrugged. "And besides… If I mope around and get offended by people talking about my past, I'm going to be a very grumpy person." Daniel couldn't help but laugh, as the half-Ancient girl joined in, both hearts lightened considerably.

* * *

"God, I still can't believe I trusted them," Elizabeth Weir sighed, standing in a corner next to Jack O'Neill. The general smiled wryly.

"Believe me… Neither can I. But, don't beat yourself up about it, Weir. We all screw up." He took a sip. "What counts is that you made sure it won't happen again."

"Did I?" Weir asked sadly. "Michael escaped. He has a Wraith ship capable of inter-galactic hyper speed. And he still knows the location of Earth. And John…" Jack sighed, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yes… He does… But we'll deal with it when the time comes." Jack looked Weir in the eyes. She hesitantly looked back.

"And about John… Don't worry. The _Daedalus_ got a lock on his emergency beacon. They've tracked it to a small solar system on the edge of Pegasus." Elizabeth felt tears of joy coming on, but managed to keep control. She smiled at Jack warmly.

"Thank you, General. Thank you." Jack smirked.

"Thank Colonel Caldwell. He's the one who found it." Jack stretched, and popped his neck. He winced.

"Ow… Damn, I hate getting old," he sighed. He rummaged in his pocket, muttered something, and an instant later he was smiling again. Elizabeth blinked.

"Exactly what…?" Jack grinned, and pulled out a small, glowing sphere from his pocket. Elizabeth gasped.

"Materia?" Jack shrugged.

"I learned how to use it back on Planet. When you're off Planet, you can only use it if you have the ATA gene. But, I didn't know that until a few weeks ago." He smirked. "Why do you think I came back to active duty here so fast?"

"So… It's helped your knees, huh?" Weir asked with a small smile. Jack nodded.

"Oh yeah…"

* * *

_Sorry that we're not getting to the attack on Spira, but I wanted to take a breather chapter before plunging back into the action.  
_


	6. Chapter 6

_Back to journal format again… I'm hoping to save most of the space for Operation Mii'hen, only with a Stargate twist. You'll just have to wait and see, though, what that is. _

_

* * *

_

_April 16th, 2006_

Well, there's good news, and bad news. The good news is, we won the blitzball championship. The bad news is that Sin launched an attack against Luca with hundreds of Sin spawn (monsters that Sin somehow "produces"-I don't really want to think about it), which killed several dozen people. Considering that it's a city with a population of only a few thousand, this amounts to the equivalent of a September 11th scale terrorist attack.

No wonder everyone's scared out of their minds.

I finally decided to give Tidus one of my four nine millimeters. His sword is simply not cutting it-Literally. He nearly lopped off his own arm fighting the Sinspawn. And Lulu's magical enhancement option to my weapons is quickly making them the envy of damn near everyone else in our group. Not to mention making them a lot safer. Except Wakka. He _still _won't switch from his stupid ball. His _blitzball,_ for God's sake! So what if he can silence a monster with a special technique? I can _kill _a monster in precisely the same time and with less effort! Shaquille O'Neill doesn't use his basketball for a freaking weapon, does he!

But I'm going off on an angry rant. I'll leave that to Lulu. It's fun to hear her rant at Wakka. Better than Cinemax.

The Aeon of Maester Seymour was responsible for clearing out most of the Sinspawn. Someone called it "Anima". I was inclined to call it "The Giant Bondage Piranha". I mean, what is with all the chains and bindings and the blindfold on it? It's just… Incredibly freaky, even compared to Yuna's Aeons. And Valefor's chain ornament thingy is pretty freaky. Yuna, however, seems to be swooning over Seymour's Aeon… And Seymour himself. I know I shouldn't get too attached, but I'd be concerned for anyone who was attracted to this guy. Even, say, Caldwell.

Actually, I'd be concerned _period._ In that case.

Agh… Horrifying mental images!

But, in any event, our post-victory celebration was rather subdued. Although it was hilarious to see Keepa try to make out with a blitzball when he was drunk.

We've picked up an old friend of Yuna and Tidus' fathers: Sir Auron the Grey. Well… That's my name for him. Gah, I'm getting as bad as Ford. He wields a Japanese-looking sword that's nearly as long as he is tall. And he can wield it pretty damn easily for a guy who looks around fifty. I have to say he reminds me of Ronan-All business, no pleasure. Doesn't talk a lot. He didn't even ask who I was, jerk. Yuna had to tell him. Afterwards, he just grunted, told me to stick to my job, and off we went.

Exactly what is this guy's problem? His love life dead or something?

_April 18th, 2006_

Well, now we're the Highroad, heading for the Djose Temple to pick up Yuna's next Aeon. Exactly how so many fiends can hide in the tall grass around the road is a subject of debate between myself and Yuna. With Wakka and Lulu fighting, Khimari not saying squat, and Tidus whining and bugging Auron, we're kind of stuck with talking to eachother.

Not that it's a hassle or anything, naturally. Just, well… Exactly how many times can you explain to a girl from another planet how football is played?

There I go again, forgetting that her destiny is to die in order to defeat Sin. Damn. I should tell her whatever she wants to know. Least I can do for someone willing to die for her world, right?

Man, bet Rodney and Zelenka would drool over all this ancient technology lying in ruins around us. There are fallen towers that look almost as tall as some on Atlantis, bridges, rocket-looking things. Actually, Dr. Daniel Jackson back on Earth would die... Again... to see this place. While archaeology isn't my strong suit, I can appreciate the efforts of long-dead civilizations. Like the Atlantis of legend, the machina cities of Spira had apparently done wrong in the sight of Yevon. And like any proper ancient deity, he smited them with Sin. A bit ironic, considering that sin is the reason people got smote on my planet.

Good lord, the puns. The puns. I need to get the hell off this planet before it gets any worse.

Still... It's nice to go traveling. It's like the Iliad, one of my favorite stories of all time. Good stuff, about a band of mythic heroes, off to save the world while battling monsters, evil wizards, and the gods themselves.

Now I'm being melodramatic. Maybe it's appropriate for this situation though. Guess I'll find out.

In other news… Why did I teach her that song? Why?

Yuna loves "It's a Small World After All". I sang it to her when she asked about Disneyworld… And now she won't stop. At all.

It's hard to get annoyed with her… She confesses it's stuck in her head, but she likes it. It's very hopeful sounding to her. And so I just grin and bear it as she sings the Song of Evil. Least I didn't tell her about the "Barney the Dinosaur" theme…

Oh God, now Tidus is singing along. I think I've created a monster…

We've met up with Shelinda, who looks ready to pass out if Yuna gives her that much of a wider smile. She's an acolyte of Yevon, kind of like, I dunno… A nun-in-training. She uses White Magic, but can't summon, which is just as well. She sounds kind of like this girl I knew in high school-Kind of a cutesy, slightly-annoying voice.

And now Tidus has gone and insulted Yevon again… Ouch. I knew those pointed shoes had to be for something. That's gonna leave a mark. This Shelinda girl is _scary…_

Correction: This rival Summoner woman is scary. She beat down Yuna's Aeons without breaking a proverbial sweat! She advised us to work on it, even harder. Well gee, no, we were going to feed them potato chip and let them become fat watching television (no one got my comment, thankfully; otherwise Scary Summoner Woman might have fried me).

And what's with the Crusaders? Who the hell designed their uniforms, if you can call them that? One of them commented that I was dressed far too warmly. Um, yeah, and if some monster attacks _you_ in your Hawaiian bondage get-up, you'll probably be disabled by a wedgie.

Note to self: Find someplace on this planet that doesn't have people wearing clothes that remind you of bondage gear. It may take years, but it'll be worth it.

And never tell Yuna about bondage.

Stop thinking about it! Stop!

At this rate, I _will _turn into Kirk! Which will give Rodney no end of amusement. And probably piss off Weir. It's a bit odd, how stressed out she becomes when women become attracted to me. You don't actually think...? Nah. Couldn't be.

Still, that kiss was good... Even though we were possessed by aliens, maybe something of our-No! Stop! Bad brain! No more thoughts of sex or romance!

... I wonder if they know what bondage is here, anyway? Rikku didn't bother to tie me or Tidus up, but her outfit just-GAH!

End journal! I need cold water...

_April 20th, 2006_

Today we met Rin, the Bill Gates of Spira. Only instead of computers, he sells potions, lodging, weapons, and… Well, hey, he does sell computers. Huh.

He also sells… Giant, yellow, flightless birds called chocobos.

Well, more like 'rent'. I don't think I'll ever complain about Avis again… My God, a bird pun. Someone kill me now.

Not only are chocobos like McKay hyped up on coffee and sugar, not only do they take off running at the slightest twitch… But they seem to _enjoy_ getting hit in the head. I'm serious, they run into trees and tweet what I can only assume is "DUDE! That was AWESOME!" in… Chocobo…ese.

I'm almost sorry we killed the Chocobo-eating monster. Sure, it tried to kill us all and shove us over a cliff, but less of these annoying birds, the better.

Speaking of annoying... Is that O'Ralley salesman stalking us! Everywhere we go, there he is! It's getting incredibly creepy. And his prices suck. What, like he doesn't notice that the local places have better deals?

I am so glad Lulu took away the money bag from Tidus. We had been taking turns holding it, but with Tidus' "helping hand" to O'Rally's future interests, we're out a good thousand gil. What the hell is wrong with him anyway!

And still, Yuna thinks he's cute. Him. Captain Air-For-Brains. Cute. The Blond Stereotype brought to life. I'll file it under 'Things that are Common to All Women Across the Universe that Baffle Reasonably Sane Men'.

I seem to be adding to that list a lot lately…

* * *

_Yes, I know, it didn't seem to be that long of a trip in the game… But I like to think that the game is more of an interpretation of what Spira "actually" looks like (perhaps in another universe, I dunno…). Anyway, next chapter we have Operation Mii'hen… Hopefully with an assist from our very own _SGCS Daedalus,_ preferably in the form of a naquada-enhanced nuke to vaporize Sin… Or not. You'll have to read to find out! Mwahahahahaha!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Well, I got Mr. Flannigan's autograph at Starfest 2006. He's a really cool guy. Kind of wish I'd shown him this fanfic. However, as he didn't recognize my Reno costume from _Final Fantasy VII,_ I think it's a safe bet he's not a fan. Still, it has given me some new insight into his character. _

_Oh, and I got to meet Dwight Schultz! Aka, Reginald Barclay from _Star Trek: The Next Generation._ And the voice of O'akka the merchant in FFX! Weird, huh?_

_Anyway, enjoy this new chapter. Sorry I'm not going into all the nitty gritty details, but I'm assuming that most of the readers have played the game and can imagine the scenes that are "missing" just fine.

* * *

_

John had seen some messed up stuff ever since he came to the Pegasus Galaxy. Gothic-looking vampire people that ate humans through their palms came readily to mind. But _this…_ _Really._

"Potions! Cheap potions! Get 'em before the fire starts fightin'!" O'akka. A small, rat-like man dressed as though for a golf course with a backpack, selling his overpriced wares just before the whole of the Crusaders were to go and fight Sin.

A polite term for this kind of business practice would not come to mind.

"Hey! Lucky he's here, we're running low on supplies anyway," Tidus piped up. Luna shot him a look and rolled her eyes. Tidus blinked.

"What? What'd I say?"

"Ah! Colonel! So glad to see you alive and well!" O'akka caught sight of them, walking over the rocky path clumsily, his steps echoing off the canyon walls all around them. John gritted his teeth.

"Yeah… See… About that," John began. He cocked his P-90 when he saw O'akka open his mouth again. The merchant shut it.

"Your _potions_ were clearly fourth-hand at best," Auron growled, his menacing figure poised with his good hand on his katana. Wakka stepped forward, his arms crossed and his brow drawn.

"You're stinking 'super ether' was a bunch'a dried beeswax."

"And your 'Onion Knight' was stuffed, not with magic, but with sawdust," Lulu snarled, her eyes glowing with repressed electricity. O'akka gulped audibly, and backed up slowly.

"Now now… I really… My supplier, see, he's been a bit… Off the bend… What are you doing with that-AUGGHHHHH!"

* * *

"I still say that was overkill," Tidus grumbled as they continued along the grim and dreary Mushroom Rock road. John, leading the group with the flashlight mounted on his P90, snorted derisively. O'akka, in his opinion, had gotten off _lightly._

"Sir Auron, I hesitate to ask, but where-?" Began Yuna, before the legendary guardian cut her off.

"Your father had a fascination with rope tying, and their… Uses," Auron responded calmly. "He was fond of demonstrating it to a number of people he met on our travels."

"A number of…?" John closed his eyes for a moment. _Is she a masochist or what?_

"I believe its best you don't know," Auron replied firmly but quietly. John could practically feel Yuna's 'I don't understand, but fine,' look as they continued on. And he could clearly hear Lulu and Wakka's sighs of relief.

"Khimari regrets that Yuna's education was so… Limited," the Ronso rumbled quietly to John. The colonel nodded.

"We need to do something about that. Without scarring her for life, I mean," John replied, spying a gigantic platform with lots of Crusaders milling about around the next canyon corner. Khimari made an unusual sound, kind of like a purr.

"Teach her… Of… Bunnies?" John stopped at that. He turned and looked at the Ronso. Khimari looked back. John nodded numbly before continuing.

"Yeah… Bunnies." Khimari nodded.

"You have much knowledge of bunnies?" John bit the inside of his cheek, getting the distinct impression that he wasn't going to like this.

"I'm… Competent." Talking about this with another guy? Sure, John could manage that, politely of course. Talking about this with an eight-foot tall cat… The weirdness meter was beginning to edge into the red.

"Then teach Yuna." John blinked.

"… I was cured from that pollen those ugly-as-sin plant things hit me with before, right?" Khimari made a sound that resembled laughter, coming from an eight-foot tall blue tiger with a horn coming out of his head.

"Khimari trust you. Yuna trust you." Khimari looked at John seriously. "John not hurt Yuna. Because John enjoy life?"

"I used to," John mumbled despairingly.

* * *

Sin reared up, the Al Bhed cannon shots bouncing off its glistening black armor as it roared, causing a shudder in all who heard it. The mighty beast turned towards the shore where the majority of the Crusaders were frantically battling a wave of Sinspawn, and it's skin began to change color.

"Ah, man, that _cannot_ be a good sign," John cursed, slamming a fresh clip into his P90 before nonchalantly gunning down a trio of Sin Scales. Nearby, Tidus, Lulu and Wakka battled another Mega-Bug Sinspawn: this one with four heads instead of the usual two. Tidus had emptied four clips into the giant freakish monster, and it _still_ would not die. Even with Lulu blasting it with lightening, fire, water, ice, and wind.

John wouldn't mention Wakka's hitting the creature with a blitzball. It was just too pathetic.

"Tidus!" He bellowed, throwing one of the Al Bhed grenades they'd picked up from Rin's to the blond blitzer. Tidus caught it with ease and pulled the pin, throwing the grenade with the same accuracy as he did throwing a winning pass. The monster caught the bomb in it's mouth… And it's head promptly exploded, as the rest of it's body began to dissolve into pyreflies.

"And exactly _why_ didn't you do this _before?"_ Asked John irritably of Tidus. The blond jerked a thumb at Wakka, who was brooding. John waited.

"… He took my grenades," Tidus whined. John rolled his eyes heavenward.

"Wakka? Give me the grenades." Wakka deathglared.

"We can't be having nothing more to do wit' deez, deez-!"

"_Give me the grenades or I shoot you,"_ John snarled. Wakka 'eeped', before shakily handing them over. John paused, and looked thoughtful.

"Actually…" John slapped the blitzball out of Wakka's hands, and shoved the grenade sack back into the confused Besaid Islander's hands. "Start throwing them at Gruesome in the bay over there." Wakka blinked, and opened his mouth-

"_Or I shoot you,"_ John snarled, in precisely the same tone as before. Wakka 'eeped!' again, and ran to the edge of the cliff, before hurriedly pulling out grenades, pulling their pins, and throwing them with deadly accuracy at the distant form of Sin. John couldn't help but grin.

"I could get used to this… Gonna need some cough drops though…"

A blinding flash filled the sky, causing John to curse and cover his eyes. Lulu, Tidus, and Wakka nearby made similar sounds. John, as he was trained after such an occurrence, scrunched his eyes tightly and counted to thirty, before opening his eyes again.

Over Sin was an expanding cloud, consistent with a nuclear detonation. Ballpark, John would have to estimate something in the 15-30 kiloton range. Again, judging by the cloud formation… But if that were the case, they'd all be dead by now. John looked out over the cove again, and gaped.

Smoke pouring out of various orifices, the gigantic Sin bellowed in pain and anger, before looking up at the sky. Its skin flashed deep purple, before a beam lanced from its nose far through the cloud cover. After that, it sent a huge wave burst out across the coast, smashing against the cliffs, spilling up and over-

"Oh _crap-!"_

_

* * *

_

Colonel Caldwell grit his teeth and tried to retain his focus, even as alert klaxons screamed around him. He clutched his armrests as the _Daedalus_ groaned and shook around him.

"Damage report?"

"Shields are at 50 percent... Weapons and hyperdrive are offline! The EMP spike from that blast was _huge,_ sir," Captain Lefler reported at his side, bleeding from a small gash on his temple. He shook his head and looked at the colonel with wide eyes. "If our shields were down-"

"Understood," Caldwell interrupted. Better that he cut that though right out of the equation. "And the entity?"

"… Still alive, but considering that it's moving off from Colonel Sheppard's location…" Caldwell nodded. He then sighed.

"Colonel…" He looked up at saw the concerned face of Aeris Gainsborough, assigned to the _Daedalus_ considering her experience with… _unusual_ Ancient technology remains. Which they had detected when they'd first scanned the planet Colonel Sheppard was on… And trapped, for the moment, since they couldn't use their Asgard transporters.

"I am… I am sorry," Aeris murmured, her eyes downcast. The colonel shook his head.

"For what?"

"If I had not… I had not indicated…" Caldwell held up a hand, and Aeris stopped.

"The creature would have killed all those people anyway," Caldwell spoke softly. "At least we minimized some casualties down there, right?" Aeris nodded, and bit her lip.

"The creature… The entire world below us… It pulses, like Planet, but the energy… It is applied in a different way. There is a Lifestream, but not quite like the one back home… And the creature is a part of it, somehow." Aeris shook her head helplessly.

"It's so difficult to get _some_ kind of reading on it… My 'connection' isn't as strong as it is with Planet, but…" Aeris closed her eyes.

"My feeling is that, whatever that creature is, we have to stop it. Somehow. Or at least, find out what it _is._" Caldwell nodded, then hit the intercom.

"Engine room… Get us hyperdrive back. And then, set a course back to Atlantis. We're going to need the big guns on this one…"

* * *

_Mwahahahaha! Cliffhanger! Guess you'll just have to wait for the next chapter… R&R!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Well, back to journal format again! Mainly because it's easier, and you guys need a break before the rest of the Stargate crew shows up. And besides, it's fun to write Sheppard being angsty every now and again. _

_April 22nd, 2006_

The Crusaders have been slaughtered. My most optimistic assessment is that they suffered 90 percent casualties. Most of the survivors are just kids, really. The others…

It reminds me of Afghanistan, the aftermath of a Taliban raid on a refugee aid camp the Red Cross set up. I had been flying re-supply missions in. We were actually late due to a fuel line problem on my helo. A few news reporters would later dub us as "luckily tardy".

Yeah, lucky. Gee, how lucky that there was a first-aid kit for that reporter after his "nasty fall", huh?

And people wonder why the military hates the media.

Maester Seymour is apparently using this entire incident to put the moves on Yuna. The other Maester, whatever-the-hell-his-name-is, actually looks shattered. Well he'd better.

The biggest thing, however, is that missile strike. No fall-out, so it was a clean weapon. Aside from that, we don't have any clues as to who actually launched it. If I had to bet, I'd say it was launched by a ship in orbit. The way Sin fired a return shot directly up helps the case. If that's so, then the ship was probably destroyed by Sin since it didn't follow up on its last strike. I hope it wasn't an Earth ship… But something tells me there aren't too many other candidates.

Considering that nothing more has come from the sky after Sin returned fire… Good bet that the ship was either disabled, or destroyed. Of course, there is the field that was screwing with my instrumentation too. I'm trying not to think too hard about it.

I wonder if it even matters if I find my 302 or not at this point. A thing like Sin loose on this planet is just… Well, it's kept me from worrying too much about being recovered. Don't get me wrong, I hope I get rescued, what downed pilot doesn't? But as long as I'm here…

"John?" I looked up from the sphere recorder and stared at Yuna. Her fingers were laced in front of her belly, and she was looking, quite frankly, like hell. She had to do a sending ceremony every time someone died, collecting those pyreflies and sending them off who knows where. Heaven, Hell… Having to do that, after every battle, knowing you were handling _someone…_

She's a mortician. In a pretty dress. With the weight of her world on her shoulders. The rest of the group looks to have sobered up pretty quickly in reaction to… Everything. Good. They'll need to be.

"The sending is complete," she quietly stated into my brooding. "The Djose Temple is our next stop." I nodded, before turning to the recorder and hitting the off button. Before the device shut off, it caught my response:

"Got it."

* * *

"From the _Daedalus's_ sensor logs, what we're dealing with is definitely some kind of energy-based lifeform," Doctor McKay began his lecture, as the rest of Atlantis's command staff listened attentively in the meeting room. The Canadian astrophysicist pressed a few commands on the flat screen, and a wireframe-skeleton of the monster _Daedalus_ had fired upon dominated the display. Aeris, sitting next to Dr. Weir, shivered slightly. Colonel Caldwell noticed, but didn't react further.

"We've seen something similar," McKay went on. "The System Lord Anubis had life and energy readings very much like what we were seeing from… Well, the whatever-it-is."

"Sin," Aeris murmured. McKay blinked and stared with the rest of the assembled staff. Aeris looked up, her eyes eerily blank.

"I was able to catch some impressions when I was talking to the planet," Aeris explained.

"Establishing a psychic link to the main Ascension control system," McKay 'translated'… Sort of.

"Why did you attempt this?" Weir asked. Aeris regained her focus.

"The energy signatures from the planet are very similar to those of PLANET, and the Lifestream," Aeris put forth. "I managed to establish a link into something like the Lifestream… But not quite. And the creature is part of it, somehow." The Cetra looked around the room.

"It's name is Sin."

"What else did you receive from the link?" Asked Caldwell, suspicion entering his voice. Everyone else mentally rolled their eyes at the colonel's perpetual paranoia.

"Nothing else…" Aeris shrugged. "I think the creature found out what I was doing and shut me out. Just before the missile struck it."

"Meaning that we could be dealing with another Anubis," Weir surmised. McKay coughed to get everyone's attention back.

"Only one that's about… ten million, three-hundred and fifty thousand, nine-hundred and forty-two times more _powerful."_ The gapes McKay received confirmed that his message was indeed getting through.

"Is the creature using the planet's lifestream to power itself?" Caldwell asked Aeris. The Cetra frowned.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know for sure. The most I was able to get from the link were impressions… And an identity. Sin…" Aeris took a deep breath. "It is… If it was human, or an Ancient, it is now reduced to what it _does._ It maintains a kind of order, along a line of behavior that cannot deviate." Aeris decided not to mention the mental image of a man in bizarre clothing she'd gotten-She was stressing her credibility as it was.

"Like a computer?" Zelenka asked, his eyes brightening. _Finally!_

"Yes! It's programmed to carry out a directive of some kind." Aeris turned to McKay. "Since the world in question has such a low population, and so many ruins, is it possible that Sin is responsible for keeping the people down?" McKay nodded thoughtfully.

"The scans we got were still being distorted by the planet's energy field, but we have cleaned them up enough to determine that this world was once the home of considerably more advanced and numerous peoples." McKay indicated a few windows of ruins _Daedalus_ had surveyed from orbit. "But, it doesn't look like anything on the surface is responsible for the interference. Is this planet's Lifestream responsible for that too?" Aeris nodded.

"Probably. As for why, and how?" The young woman shook her head. "I haven't the slightest idea. All I know is that Sin is at the heart of whatever is occurring on that world." Her green eyes narrowed. "I also know that we have to stop it."

The determination in her usually light and carefree voice was a bit of a shock to the room.

"We must recover Colonel Sheppard," Teyla interjected. "And allowing such an atrocity to continue unchallenged would leave us no better than the Wraith." Caldwell nodded, and turned to Weir.

"Dr. Weir, with your permission, I'd like to take the _Daedalus_ back to the planet and begin a full survey. The sooner we figure out what's going on down there, the better." Caldwell shook his head. "I hate to think what the Wraith would do if they could get their hands on the technology responsible for that monster." Weir nodded.

"You have a go. In the meantime, Aeris? Rodney? Zelenka? Start working on a way to access the world through the link again. And get Carson on it too-We don't want to risk Sin forcing his way back into Aeris's mind." Teyla tensed momentarily at this comment, which Aeris noted. The Cetra resolved to speak with the Athosian about this at a later time, as she was naturally curious about the Atlantis expedition as it was.

"In the mean time, we'll see if we can establish a wormhole with the planet," Weir continued, before smiling slightly. "We're definitely going to need Dr. Jackson if it goes through, Teyla, so you might want to retrieve him from the mainland."

"I will requisition a pilot immediately," Teyla promised. Weir nodded.

"Dismissed."

_April 26th, 2006_

So we got Ixion, this new lightening-based Aeon. Looks like a freaky unicorn zombie. The way it blasts lightening, however, is very awesome. Against the fiends, we've been able to combine it and Lulu's powers together to great affect, allowing us to kick the ass of any monster that tries to attack us.

Honestly though, you'd think that after beating these creatures over a dozen times in one hour would make the other beasts take the hint?

Yuna really worried me-us, I mean, at the shrine. It's almost like every Aeon she gains saps away more of her health. After getting Ixion, she was unconscious for over eight hours. Her heart rate and breathing were pretty stable while she was out… But I'm no doctor. I can't be sure that this isn't burning out her brain cells or something like that. Or messing with her lifeforce.

She's determined to go on. I told her that we need to find this planet's Stargate, so I can get her to Atlantis. We can get McKay and the rest working on the problem, so that we can defeat Sin and make sure that no more Summoners have to die.

Yuna told me that we didn't even know where Spira's Stargate might be. Wakka dismissed it as more Sin venom talking, while Tidus thought it was insane. How's that for irony?

Surprisingly enough, it was Lulu and Auron who supported trying to find the Stargate. The libraries at Guadosalam, the capital of the Guado Nation (and our next stop) might have some records on the Stargate. As long as it didn't interfere in the pilgrimage, they were for it.

Well, Auron was for it. Lulu seemed to have been convinced by Auron enough to side with him, but still didn't look happy.

We're headed for the Moonflow now… I just hope it lets us rest after everything we've been through. We're going to need it.

* * *

Aeris sighed deeply, her eyes tightly shut. The various monitors and devices attached to her forehead made her skin itch, and the hum of the medical scanners above her were giving the young Ancient a headache. 

"Allright Aeris, try it again," McKay ordered, his eyes fixed on his computer screens. Nearby, Dr. Zelenka observed his own computer screens, while Dr. Beckett and a few of his nurses stayed at the sides of her bed. The young woman opened her eyes up and looked over at the Canadian physicist in exasperation.

"I've told you, I've tried connecting ten times already," Aeris huffed. "It's not letting me through. The distance also doesn't help."

"We're relaying your patterns via subspace to the planet. How is distance a factor?" McKay complained. Aeris rolled her eyes.

"I need _physical_ proximity, Doctor. It's the only way it works!"

"As far as you know," McKay replied flatly. "Now, c'mon… We can't go back with a ship until you can control the connection."

"But I can't _make_ a connection unless we're within a certain distance _onboard_ a ship!" Aeris shot back. McKay rolled his eyes.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't fancy getting blown out of the sky by a gigantic Ascended monster, do you?" Aeris grit her teeth, even as Dr. Beckett patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"It's allright, lass, he's just being himself."

"I heard that!" McKay snorted. Carson smirked.

"Ye were supposed to, Rodney."

"Look Aeris, until we _make_ a connection to the planet, we're not going anywhere, okay? So, once more…?" Rodney prompted, shooting the Ancient girl a dirty look. Aeris stuck out her tongue back at him, leading Carson and a few of his nurses to laugh.

"Oh, that's real mature," Rodney sniffed.

"Seemed appropriate for my combatant," Aeris shot back. Rodney gritted his teeth.

"Just make the connection already!" Aeris closed her eyes, muttering something under her breath that made Carson cough suspiciously.

"… Theta-level waves approaching 30 percent," Zelenka reported.

"Vitals stable," added Beckett. McKay nodded thoughtfully.

"Aeris? Aeris, are you getting anything?" The Ancient girl didn't reply. Beckett looked over the monitors.

"She's fine according to the sensors," Carson supplied, confused. McKay shook his head, and looked back at the readings.

"Aeris, the level's at 60 percent. You should be getting something. I need that information!" The Ancient girl's eyes flew open, as warning beeps sounded from everywhere.

"Aw Good Lord!" Beckett cursed. "Her heart rate's dropping! Rodney, shut it off!"

McKay terminated the connection with Atlantis's subspace transceiver, and looked back worriedly at Aeris.

"Damnit Rodney!"

"I cut it! She should be fine!" Rodney shouted. Carson checked her eyes, and groaned.

"Damnit… Code Blue! Get me the cart!" The nurses had it standing by when the experiment began, and Carson took the paddles with practiced ease. A nearby nurse torn open Aeris's shirt, revealing her cotton bra.

"Clear!" A burst of electricity to her heart made Aeris jump, as a nurse used an air pump to keep her breathing. The Ancient girls' vitals remained the same.

"Clear!" Carson announced again, pushing the paddles hard against her chest. The warning beeps switched to normal monitoring sounds, as Aeris blinked her eyes and gasped loudly.

"AUUGGHHHH!" She screamed, leaping up and trying to get out of the bed. Carson and the other medical staffers crowded around and restrained her, fighting the shrieking Ancient girl's attempts to escape. Aeris calmed down after a few moments, holding her hands over her eyes as she continued to breathe labouredly.

"Uh… She okay?" Rodney asked nervously. Carson sighed heavily.

"She's stable…"

"Not exactly," Aeris mumbled. She looked up at Rodney, who flinched.

"It's okay, Rodney…" Aeris reassured him in a soft but firm voice. "It… Sin… It just… It repelled me." Rodney blinked.

"You mean, you made contact with it?"

"Yes, but not long. It threw me out of contact the moment I tried to delve any deeper…" She sighed, shaking slightly. "It was… Terrifying."

"What? How? Why?" Rodney asked fervently. Carson moved to herd Rodney away, but Aeris held up a hand to stop him.

"It… It felt like it had the pain and anguish of the entire planet at its disposal." She shivered. "And it used it on me, like pouring hot lead into my brain."

"Out of… Anger?" Asked Carson. Aeris shook her head.

"No… Even worse, it seemed to do it out of _instinct…"

* * *

_

Dr. Weir frowned at the images their MALP were sending back through the wormhole. It had made the transit to the world they'd dubbed "Sin's Planet" without any apparent problems. It looked like the dampening field surrounding the planet didn't affect Stargate travel…

But even getting to the world Colonel Sheppard was trapped on didn't brighten her mood much once she saw what it was like.

"Definitely thousand year-old ruins, ma'am," the MALP controller reported from his station. "The spectrometer confirms the sample."

"Composition?" Weir asked, looking out over the desolate, semi-submerged ruins of what was once a huge city.

"Steel, polymers, carbon composites… Some trace amounts of naquada," the controller answered. Ronan frowned as he looked over another screen of the MALP's view.

"Definitely don't look like any architecture I've ever seen," he stated to Weir's questioning look. The doctor nodded and sighed.

"I see… So we're going in blind. Lovely." She turned back to the MALP operator. "Wha kind of climate are we talking about here?"

"Definitely temperate coastal environment. Judging from the topography, looks like the 'Gate is positioned in a cove, probably isolated from the main city." He maneuvered the camera of the robot to look over a huge cliff wall, massive boulders and shards of stone littering the foot of the mountains.

"The Stargate was probably in a cavern, that mostly collapsed around it," the controller went on. "Definitely suggest rock-climbing gear, ma'am."

"I'll inform Doctor Jackson," Weir nodded. "Has Teyla returned with him yet?"

"Yes ma'am, their Jumper should be touching down in the next ten minutes," Sergeant Barnes reported, a finger pressed to his radio earpiece. Weir turned to Ronan, who nodded.

"Get prepped, Ronan. We'll be going in as soon as Doctor Jackson and Teyla are here and briefed." She smiled.

"We're going to find John."

* * *

_Combined two chapters in one! Look for further updates as time goes on!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Been a while, huh? Long road, getting from here to there… Heh. The only part of Star Trek: Enterprise that I liked. As for the interlude that was formally here, I realized that it was only getting in the way of telling John's story, so I will be reposting those parts as a separate prequel in the near future. Any ideas or suggestions for this story are welcome and encouraged as always._

_Italics _Emphasis

"_Italics" _ Al Bhed language.

_- - - - - - - - -_

_April 29th, 2006_

It's been a month on Spira. Counting the two weeks I didn't have this thing. Scratch that, it's been over a month, actually. In that time, I've seen monsters, ghosts, demons, real magic… Great, I'm stalling. We're nearly to Guadosalam, to meet Seymour, Lord Bird Man himself. Quick stop by the Farplane, their foothold on this world's version of the afterlife. Yes, I am so happy to go and look upon a world of dead people.

I'm usually snarkier than that. It's been a long day, so I'm not up to my usual standard. Plus, no McKay, no Teyla, no Ronan, no Elizabeth to bounce ideas off… To argue with… To see…

Damnit… Where was I? Screw it, moving on.

We finally found Rikku. Apparently, as an Al Bhed she is hated by most followers of Yevon because her people didn't reject advanced technology. They've been digging and excavating the tech left over from older civilizations and developing their own versions of it. As a result, they've been isolated for the most part by the rest of Spira on a rocky, desolate island they call Home. Some prodding of Auron and Lulu yielded the information that the Al Bhed have been on the receiving end of a couple crusades launched by the Maesters. Only in recent years have the Al Bhed been allowed back into mainstream society, with their businesses and blitzball. But Auron has no illusions-Another Yevon-declared war against the Al Bhed is only a matter of time.

Holy war. Killing for your God, just because someone can't accept that you don't want their religion or way of life. Invading and butchering for your God, because someone don't want to be swallowed up by some way of life that condemns good people to death every ten years. That rejects making life easier with technology. That promises instant salvation if you die killing infidels.

No matter how far humanity may have been spread, either by the Stargate or by the Ancients, some things will never change. I look at Spira and I see what Earth might be like if the Islamic world wins. I haven't followed Earth politics a lot since I went to Atlantis, and yeah, the Ori are a bigger threat at the moment than a large percentage of our planet's population that want to forcibly convert everyone else to their religion… But a cobra is still a threat, even in the face of a charging rhino.

… Great. I'm turning philosophical in my old age. What _is_ it with the universe and it's continuing need to turn me into some kind of hermit on the top of a mountain?

Anyway…

Tidus and I had found Rikku on the beach following an attempt by the Al Bhed to capture Yuna, while we were crossing the Moonflow river on a shoopuff (Kind of like riding an elephant, only twice the height and a better smell. Take that, petting zoo!). To keep Wakka from going _jihad_ on her, we stuck with her story that she came along to help her cousin, Yuna, which was completely true. Nevermind that she had wanted to help her by kidnapping her and taking her back to Home, the Al Bhed island.

It wasn't until later, when we'd set up camp for the night, that I asked her about my plane. She looked nervous, and had me promise not to get mad. I sighed, promised that I wouldn't. Well, it's not like I couldn't get mad at what she said, but I wasn't going to take it out on her.

When her ship had gotten back to Home, she'd tried explaining the importance of getting my plane back to me to her father, Cid, who is the leader of the Al Bhed (what is it with this galaxy and royalty anyway? Popping up everywhere). Her father, however, had decided that my plane was a much more valuable resource than I was, and proceeded to have his scientists take it apart and study it. She apologized profusely, cringing the entire time she described the disassembly. Sure, I may be a pilot, but I wasn't too attached to that particular 302. If it had been a 'Jumper I'd have gone on a rampage. Fine, sounds conceited, so sue me. Won't get you a dime on my salary.

She asked if there was anything she could do to make it up to me. I grit my teeth and really, _really_ wished I had McKay here right now. Or Zelenka. Someone who could put the plane back together, or at least the parts that might get us out of here. Rikku winced, drawing back… I blinked at her, taking a deep breath, exhaling my anger out, and adopting my professional face.

"Can you contact your father?" She nodded, and handed over another spherical device, kind of like my recorder. The girl turned it on, and spoke a few words I didn't recognize. Same language they were speaking on the boat before. Fortunately for me though, most of the inhabitants of Pegasus speak some form of Ancient, and since I learned Latin in college, it wasn't too hard to pick up.

Note to self: If they ever make a movie about Atlantis, make sure they explain that this is the dubbed version. Most of the movie would have to be subbed if it was true to life.

"_Neggi? Fro yna oui lymmehk?"_ Said the guy on the other end.

"_Vydran,_ _e'ja vuiht Lumuham Crabbynt, ra fyhdc du dymg du oui,"_ Rikku answered. There was a pause.

"_Ev ed'c ypuid rec bmyha, fa'na cunno. E fyc ihtan dra esbnacceuh dryd ra fyc tayt,"_ the man responded. Rikku sighed.

"_Ra cinjejat, yht ra'c hud rybbo fa duug ybynd rec bmyha."_ The man chuckled.

"_Lyh'd pmysa res. Cu, fuimt ra ghuf ruf du bid ed pylg dukadran"_ Rikku looked at me.

"You think you could put it back together? I mean, do you know how?" Rikku asked. I shook my head.

"If it was my usual bird? Yes. But in this case? No." I sigh. "Don't you guys know how to put it back together? You did keep track of where everything went, right?"

"_Vydran?"_ Rikku inquired. There was muffled shouting in the background, before the man spoke again.

"_Druca eteudc! E't vena dra mud uv dras yht ducc dras du Ceh ev E luimt kad yfyo fedr ed!"_ Rikku winced.

"No, they didn't," she answered. I nod.

"_Neggi, damm dra Lumuham dryd E fuimt mega du syga ed ib du res. Kud yho etayc uh ruf?"_ Cid said in a questioning tone. Rikku blushed a bit, and I raised my eyebrow.

"_Famm... E ys synnoehk yka, nekrd"_ There was a pause, then booming laugher.

"_Mega drec Lumuham, rir?" _She smiled at me, my 'I'm on an alien planet and things are going to get _real_ bad in a few moments' senses tingling. Rikku went on, giggling a bit.

_Uh oh…_

"_E zicd druikrd ra luimt ica cusadrehk du dea res rana. Ra'c hud pyt uh dra aoac yd ymm, Vydran, yht ra'c y bemud yht fynneun yc famm…"_ She pouted very cutely at this point.

"_Pacetac, E ryda ymm uv dra udran ciedunc ycgehk yvdan sa,"_ she seemed to conclude, though since I didn't have a clue what they were talking about…

"_Sa duu. Famm, damm res E aqdaht ouin ryht eh synneyka du res. E aqbald du caa oui pudr eh y vaf faagc. Fa lyh gaab Oihea cyva yht uvvelelymmo ynnyhka ajanodrehk yd dra cysa desa," _Cid said in an authoritative tone. Rikku nodded happily.

"_Ymmnekrd, dyga lyna Neggi. Dno hud du ryja ouin fattehk hekrd duu cuuh, ymmnekrd?" _Cid went on, a teasing tone this time. Rikku blushed and nodded.

"_Oac Vydran."_

"_Po dra fyo, ypuid drec Cdynkyda ra sahdeuhat... E's muugehk ehdu ed. E drehg fa lyh veht ed vun res. Tavehedamo y kuut etay du ryja y tufno du syga cina ra tuach'd kad lumt vaad," _Cid went on.

"_Ra'mm pa jano rybbo du rayn ymm dryd, Vydran. Caa oui cuuh. Kuutpoa!"_ With that, she shut off the comms sphere and smiled.

"Don't worry… Father says that if we meet him at Home, he'll get everything straightened out. He's also got a few leads on your Stargate he's looking into." I raised my eyebrow.

"Okay… What was all the blushing about?" Rikku shrugged and winked.

"Just telling my father about the handsome company I'm keeping," she breathed in a sultry tone. I grinned teasingly.

"Don't you forget it," I admonish, though my uneasiness level is still incredibly high. I really hope I'm not being married off. Again.

- - - - - - -

_Dun dun dun! Dramatic reverb!_

_For those of you who want to know what Rikku and Cid were saying, go here:_

_http://www__. Yaoiville .org/FFXyaoi/oddities/albhed . htm_

_While I'm not a fan of yaoi, it is an excellent translation program. Until next time!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Meanwhile…_

The Puddlejumper burst from the Stargate, it's twin pods extending as it deftly maneuvered through the huge rock formations that shielded it's method of entry from the outside world. The ship rose, cruising above the massive, partially-submerged city.

"Wow," Daniel murmured, his eyes never leaving the computer screen view from the ship's cameras. In the pilot's seat next to him, Dr. McKay stared with grudging admiration at the findings.

"Hm. Large usage of naquadah in every aspect of construction," he noted. "They learned how to manipulate it." Teyla was standing behind him, looking out over the ruins with a smile.

"Do you think they were the work of the Ancestors?" She inquired. "They look very similar…"

"Similar, yes, but not exact," Daniel murmured. "There's a lot of what looks like Post-Modern design going through here. Some of the lines resemble current Japanese architectural trends."

"Pegasus Disneyworld," McKay commented. Daniel paused, and smirked.

"Looks like the Epcot, doesn't it?"

"Huh." Teyla blinked, and decided not to ask.

"We need to go." Everyone turned back to Aeris, sitting in the chair behind Daniel's. The small girl seemed to disappear in her grey and yellow Atlantis uniform, curled up and shivering, green eyes dark in fear. Ronan stood nearby, hovering over the Ancient girl with a stony face. Well, he always had a stony face, but still.

"Sin?" Asked Daniel, calmly in quiet alarm. Aeris nodded.

"It's coming… It was… Attracted to the Stargate…" She shut her eyes tightly. "We need to go _now."_ An alert went off on the control console, and McKay checked it. He groaned.

"Great. Here comes Lobster Man." A burst of concentration from the physicist's mind cloaked the 'Jumper, as a massive shape emerged from the water near the city. Glistening in the sun like a small, organic mountain, Sin sat, a few rumbling noises from it startling the birds that had taken up roost in parts of the city.

"… It's looking for us," Aeris murmured.

"Can it find us?" McKay asked, worry in his voice. "Is it picking you up?"

"Rodney," Teyla quietly but firmly admonished, and the Canadian quieted. The passive sensors showed Sin as it stayed motionless, steam rising off its disgustingly patterned skin. Finally, it turned away, trumpeting something resembling the call of an Earth whale, before slowly submerging and vanishing back into the sea. Everyone on the 'Jumper held their breath.

"… It didn't find us," Aeris sighed. "I think that it was merely attracted to the energy of the Stargate activating." McKay groaned.

"How far away was it?"

"Not very far," Aeris surmised. She thought hard. "Can you track it from far away?"

"Yes, very far," McKay stated.

"Still, if the Stargate's going to get it's attention, we're probably better off waiting for _Daedalus_ and communicating with Atlantis through them," Daniel suggested. Teyla nodded, as McKay looked at his watch and grimaced.

"Right. Well then… That leaves us eight hours."

"Let's look for Sheppard," Ronan stated. McKay nodded.

"Good plan. Might as well start our mission." With that, the 'Jumper maneuvered around and acclerated away from the lost city… Never noticing the small vessel surfacing from it's hiding place among the ruins. It drove through the water at a sedate pace, until stopping in front of the rock formations where the 'Jumper had emerged from. It opened up its upper decks. A pair of flying vehicles launched from this compartment, both operated by one man, which easily flew through the jagged rocks and vanished into a huge cave. For a few moments, nothing happened… Before more one-man vehicles emerged from the ship, following the others.

Half an hour after the Puddlejumper had departed, the salvage crew flew out of the huge cave, their ten hover vehicles straining to hold the Stargate aloft. An eleventh, carrying the DHD pedestal, followed. Another compartment in the aft section of the ship opened, as the crews lowered the ancient ring into it. The DHD soon followed. Their task complete, the hovercraft flew down back to the forward compartment, it's large doors shutting.

Fully contained, and it's prize in it's hold, the Yevon ship _Redeemer _submerged once more, driving at full speed for home.

- - - - - - - - - -

_Yes, split up into two chapters for faster updates. Yes, I know, I'm a lazy bum._


	11. Chapter 11

_And now, for something completely different._

_A Lecture! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA! FEAR THE KNOWLEDGE!_

_Takes place well before the first chapter, don't'cha know… Just my own random musings and theories.  
_

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

"So, let me get this straight," General Landry began patiently. SG-1 waited, assembled in the general's office. Daniel and Sam were both sitting in the general's guest chairs, while Teal'c and Mitchell leaned against the wall. All had an unusual tension about them.

"You've found conclusive connections between each of these worlds," Landry looked over the reports. "PVA-444, PFF-124, and PZG-153."

"Ivalice, Planet, and Gaia," Daniel nodded. Landry looked over the reports.

"Planet is the only one of the worlds to be a living entity, with the Lifestream that allows for he calling upon of massive amounts of energy… And yet, all of them provide their inhabitants with the means to do… Magic?"

"Well, it's not magic as in calling upon unknown forces to do your bidding, sir," Carter opened up. "On each world, the inhabitants require access to various, highly unusual minerals and crystals that have all been affected to induce various phenomena. In Planet's case, this occurred because the Lifestream is made up of trillions of single-celled lifeforms that form Planet's version of a nervous and other essential systems." At Landry's blank look, Teal'c elaborated.

"Because the lifeforms are sensitive to the dimensional energies of a higher plane, they introduce several unusual particles and energy emissions-All of which have various, but predictable effects on the surrounding ores, minerals, and elements." Landry nodded.

"So, this isn't much different from the ring that priest used to call down lightening on the medieval Christian world?" Daniel nodded, going over his own notes.

"Yes, precisely. Shinra's research into the remaining Ancient installations on Planet indicate that, though the Cetra were able to drive the Goa'uld off, the Goa'uld were able to steal some of their technology. Including the basics for materia."

"The Goa'uld hand device apparently incorporates some of that technology sir," Mitchell spoke up, not wanting to be left out. "Like the ring, it uses something like materia to induce powerful things." Landry sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"So what about Ivalice and Gaia? They don't have Lifestreams."

"No sir, but they were both originally enslaved by the same Goa'uld who tried to land on Planet," Carter went on, passing the appropriate folder. "His name was Bahamutan."

"Bahamut?" Landry asked in disbelief. "The dragon?"

"Well, not exactly sir," Daniel corrected. "Bahamut was a giant omnipower in ancient Arabic mythology, appearing around… Hrm… 1,000 BC? At the earliest. According to legend, "Bahamut rides on a giant whale creature called Liwash that resides in a vast sea, the Adwad. He supports a huge bull named Kujuta who has four thousand eyes, and the same number of ears, noses, mouths, tongues and feet. The distance between each is a five hundred years' journey. Kujuta supports on him a rock of ruby, atop which stands an angel who supports the seven heavens." Landry blinked, as did Mitchell. Daniel hurriedly went through his notes.

"Now, according to the Goa'uld, Bahamut was an upstart newcomer who tried to challenge the System Lords for supremacy around the first year AD. He was apparently a brilliant geneticist, turning his slaves into monsters, or simply enhancing them in some way, for use in battle and entertainment."

"This is why so many of the sentient lifeforms on each planet are so close to humans but also very close to other animals, sir," Carter put in. Daniel nodded.

"Exactly. Anyway, his many creations included the prototypes for the modern Goa'uld hand device… Admittedly a rip-off like all other Goa'uld technology… Which gave him a decisive edge against the other Goa'uld, despite having a smaller force at his disposal. He also introduced a new concept in combat for his Jaffa-Light cavalry."

"Most Goa'uld would not use such a tactic for cost reasons, or the lack of a suitable animal," Teal'c intoned. "However, Bahamut had a ready supply of such creatures on Ivalice." Landry smirked.

"The Chocobos."

"Indeed. Ivalice was his first world. He moved on and attempted to conquer Planet with his cavalry, but when he was driven off several Chocobo were left behind." Landry sighed.

"Allright… We're putting the pieces together then… Ivalice and Gaia both gained the 'magic' crystals because of Bahamut's experiments?" Carter nodded.

"Not unlike the experiments the Goa'uld on Kelowna did to create naquadriah. In Bahamut's case though, he was able to induce similar effects of the Lifestream on both Gaia and Ivalice without blowing himself up." Landry frowned.

"So we've covered those basics… What about the summons? Radically different cultures?" Mitchell grinned, opening his report.

"Well, we managed to capture a summon when it was defeated. From what we can tell, they were otherwise normal creatures and people before Bahamut did something to them. Radical mutations, implanting magic stones, biting them with radioactive spiders… The works. Some were even partially ascended, probably by accident." Landry grimaced.

"How pleasant. Exactly how many of these beings are there?" Carter sighed.

"On each world, at least nine familiar beings showed up. All were linked to certain objects that Bahamut must have used as a link between himself and the summon. Based on the exotic particle readings we've gotten off every one of them, they were shoved into a pocket of subspace that only that object alone could open." She snorted. "Even then, only for a matter of minutes. The objects regained their power through their link to subspace, but needed to recharge for a while after each successful summon." Landry shook his head.

"Any way to free them?"

"Uh, General, considering that the inhabitants of those worlds regard the summons as, er… Divine," Daniel interjected,"it would probably not be a good idea to release them."

"Even if we knew how to, we might not want to," Carter added with a sigh. "We're thinking that Bahamut took his secrets with him, when his followers had enough and used his own technology to shove him into a subspace pocket of his own. He'd modified his own physiology, originally that of an Unas, to take the form of a dragon, which, well…"

"Became the strongest summon," Landry finished. At the nods in return, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Mitchell shrugged.

"Still, I don't think we need to worry too much about the Summons. Ivalice, Gaia, and Planet are all at peace." He smirked. "All thanks to the involvement of a small, determined group of heroes trying to save their world." Landry smirked.

"It sounds very familiar, Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c observed. Daniel and Carter both grinned at that, and Mitchell smirked at the slightly-smiling Jaffa. Landry stood up.

"Well people, I wanted a comprehensive briefing on the three worlds sending ambassadors today," the general said, brushing imaginary lint from his uniform. "I'm sure it will come in handy." He walked out the side entrance. SG-1 looked at eachother and collectively shrugged.

"He could have just read the reports," Daniel noted. Mitchell smirked.

"C'mon Jackson… A chance for both you and Carter to talk the general's ears off? Seriously, you wanted to have this meeting."

"Maybe…" Daniel shrugged. Carter said nothing, just grinned. And Teal'c, well…

"Do you think that we could arrange a trade for chocobos Colonel Carter?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Fear the randomness! Fear the image of Teal'c on a Chobobo! FEAR IT! MWAHAHAHAHAAA!_

… _C'mon, fear it already. (sigh) Oh well. This lovely waste of a chapter will be followed by something decent. Trust me._


	12. Chapter 12

_Finally! Nearly to getting a truly new chapter, instead of a replacement. Enjoy!_

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_May 1st, 2006_

Okay… Forgive me if I sound like a bigot, but the Guado are freaking _creepy._ Not so much the appearance… Okay, fine, the appearance doesn't help… But the mannerisms.

Maybe it's not Guados in general. Maybe it's just one. Maester Seymour, who has got to be in his thirties, proposed marriage to Yuna. Who, per my last check, was about 17 years old. Considering the fact that Spira's day is about the same length as Earth's (timed it), she's still a minor according to the laws back home. Granted not every culture has the same standards, and I respect that… Usually… But the guy is proposing marriage based entirely on political reasons, and that's never been something I was comfortable with. Period.

Okay, sure, give the people of Spira hope. How about giving them hope by trying to figure out a way to destroy Sin?

… Looks like I said that out loud in the waiting room Seymour proposed to Yuna in. Which we're all still in. Including Seymour.

That explains why everyone is looking at me. Well, hooray for my deductive reasoning skills.

"What?"

"Sin cannot be destroyed," Seymour stated patiently, as though I were an ignorant child and he was the dad from _Father Knows Best._ "Opertain Mii'hen should have revealed as much to you."

"No enemy is undefeatable," I replied, just as calmly, but less of a condescending tone. "And no offense, but Mii'hen was a disaster from the beginning. Whoever planned it clearly had no idea of how to run a military operation." Seymour raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

"Really? What would you have done differently, Colonel?"

"For one, not let you stand behind the front lines drinking tea," I stated. "You're a very, _very_ powerful mage. You have a powerful Aeon. And you didn't. Do. Squat." Auron is staring at me with this unreadable expression of his, Wakka looks furious, Lulu is rolling her eyes, Khimari's impassive as always, Tidus looks confused and anxious, and Yuna and Rikku are watching from the corner they'd retreated to after Seymour proposed. Both look incredibly shocked.

"Are you suggesting that I am… A coward?" Seymour asked, seemingly amused. I raised my eyebrows.

"I didn't say that. But sure, you want to take it that way, fine by me." The Guado laughed quietly.

"I did not fight, because the Crusaders did not _want_ me to," he explained. "So I was content to let them fight, as an inspiration to Spira for their courage, even in the face of insurmountable odds." I snorted. The Maester went on.

"Well… I see we have very different ideas about what's inspiring, Colonel. I wonder… Would you like a commission in the Crusaders? I could arrange it. Give you the shattered army to rebuild, remold to your liking." I blink.

Okay… Didn't see that coming. Actually, no. Should've seen it. He's a politician for God's sake…

"I still need the Colonel… As my Guardian," Yuna spoke up quietly. Everyone's eyes were on her. She shrugged nervously, and offered a smile.

"He has done… Many things to keep me safe. All my Guardians have. And I would prefer… To keep them, until I reach a decision regarding your… Proposal, Maester Seymour." She did the Yevon prayer, and smiled politely. Seymour nodded slowly.

"As you wish, Lady Yuna. There is no rush. Think on it! I would appreciate your answer by the time you reach Macalania, however." With that (and an ambiguous statement to Auron, which made the man flinch), Seymour departed the room. Wakka shot me a glare.

"'Ey! That kind of behavior could get you locked up, ya? It won't do to go pissing off a Maester!"

"He was just expressing his opinion, Wakka! Grow up!" Rikku retorted. Wakka crossed his arms.

"I'll grow up when he does! Calling a Maester who fought alongside Yuna when the Sinspawn attacked a _coward?"_

"He kind of had a point," Tidus said, his usual bluster gone. I stared at him in disbelief, and noticed how his eyes kept going to Yuna. _Oh…_

"I would like to visit the Farplane, if you don't mind," Yuna stated, in a soft but firm voice. She looked at all of us in turn, her eyebrows raised, before she walked out the door. The rest of us followed, Tidus being the last, looking like something had just ate his puppy.

_That could have gone better, overall,_ I thought.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Next time: We check back up with McKay and Friends. After that, we get back to the action!_


	13. Chapter 13

_I'm just using these short chapters to get to bigger stuff sooner. Still, I hope you enjoy.  
_

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"Damn! We still can't pick out his implant!" Teyla raised an eyebrow at McKay's curse, sitting outside the landed 'Jumper on the soft, green grass. The valley they'd camped in had been the only one without large numbers of wild beasts roaming it, and after a long two days of searching with the sensors for any trace of the Colonel had provided the perfect rest spot.

Next to her, Aeris calmly drank tea from a thermos, smiling slightly at Rodney's continued outbursts.

"You'd _think_ that we'd catch a _break_ right about _now,_ but nooooo," the Canadian snarled. The sound of a toolbox crashing to the deck was followed by more cursing, and Teyla could not help but smile as Aeris giggled.

Her sharp ears picked up the sounds of grass being crushed by footfalls, and she turned her head. She rose and smiled as Daniel and Ronan trudged towards the Puddlejumper. Daniel was carrying one of his many notebooks and still furiously writing in it, while Ronan appeared to have done some hunting, judging by the furry objects he was carrying over his shoulder.

"Dr. Jackson, Ronan," she greeted. Daniel waved, as he finally reached them and rubbed the back of his head. Ronan nodded to Teyla and Aeris as he walked on by, to in front of the Puddlejumper and out of their sight.

"Did you find anything out about the Colonel?" The Ancient girl asked. Daniel nodded thoughtfully, looking through his notes.

"Takes a while for news to pass, but there have been reports on a Lady Yuna, a Summoner from the southern islands. Her bodyguards, or Guardians, mentioned someone who definitely resembles Colonel Sheppard." Teyla smiled, while Aeris looked confused.

"Summoner? You mean… She can call upon creatures to do battle?" Daniel nodded.

"According to the locals, about a thousand years ago Sin showed up and wiped out the machina cities, starting with one called Zanarkand. Apparently sent as a punishment for the people of Spira's arrogance with technology, by a deity known as Yevon. The religion of Yevon cropped up about that time. It serves as the de-facto religion actually, and state-based policy. Kind of like Europe during the Crusades, or Islamic nations on Earth right now. Or the Ori, lots of examples to choose from." The women frowned and looked at eachother as Daniel went on.

"Basically, the state is controlled by the Maesters of Yevon, high priests essentially. Most of the inhabitants of this continent have converted to it. The summoners embark on a quest to obtain Summons, which they call Aeons here, with which to fight and defeat Sin." Aeris shivered.

"But if this is so, why does Sin still remain?" Teyla asked, confused. The archaeologist scratched the back of his head.

"Because they can only defeat Sin for a decade at a time, periods called Calms. The Summoners pay for this with their lives. Then Sin returns, presumably in a new form, and the cycle starts all over again." He shook his head. "And it's been going on for a thousand years now." Aeris sighed heavily.

"They will never defeat Sin permanently then," the Ancient said dully. Daniel shook his head.

"No, they won't." Teyla sighed.

"Even against the Wraith, we were given hundreds of years between harvests to recover. Some, like the Genii, were even able to begin developing means to fight the Wraith. But only ten years…" She trailed off.

"It's not enough time to build up a civilization capable of fighting it," Daniel concluded. He smiled grimly. "In fact, one of Yevon's commandments is the rejection of most forms of advanced technology. Apparently because _that_ is why Yevon sent Sin in the first place." Teyla frowned.

"Then why does Sin continue to attack?"

"Control," Aeris murmured. She shook her head. "It will never be appeased, because it is following its programming. It cannot do anything else." Ronan reappeared from around the Puddlejumper, stooped down and began to restart their campfire.

"Then we kill it," the Satedan stated simply. McKay stepped out of the Jumper, shaking his head.

"Looks like the field of the planet is screwing with our subspace sensors, which, by the way, are the only things that would let us lock onto Sheppard _specifically."_ McKay looked to Daniel and Ronan. "Ah, you're back. Bring food?"

"We will have it done soon, Rodney," Teyla said with a small smile. The physicist pulled out an energy bar and bit into it, looking rather nervous.

"Right. So. What'd you find out?"

After Daniel repeated what he'd gleaned, Rodney groaned.

"Oh that's just _great._ More religious psychos with incredible power! I love it!" Rodney frowned. "Wait… I thought there were only Summoners on worlds ruled by Bahamut in the Milky Way?" Daniel shrugged.

"Well, their historical records don't go back much past two thousand years. It's not inconceivable that some Cetra could have made it out here, right?" Aeris was suddenly the center of attention. She coughed.

"I… I honestly don't know. This world doesn't _feel_ like Planet… But it does seem very similar. Not alive, like Planet was, but it does have a Lifestream."

"Could the Ancestors have, perhaps, tried to recreate their home?" Teyla suggested. Rodney rubbed the top of his head.

"I'm guessing that after spending maybe a million years on Planet they'd have a fairly good understanding of how it worked. It's a good deal after all. You eat the food, breath the air long enough, and the single-celled organisms that make up the Lifestream are part of you. You become psychically connected to the planet itself on an unconscious level, so when you kick, er, part of you stays. Easier than building giant statues of remembrance, anyway," the Canadian finished, looking a bit nervously at Aeris. The Ancient girl shrugged serenely.

"So, what's our first move?" Ronan asked, coming back from behind the Jumper again with freshly skinned and cleaned carcasses. He set them over the fire. Rodney made a face, and cleared his throat.

"We know where they'll be headed – Each of the major temples of Yevon – to get access to each Aeon. We just have to find them. Easy." Ronan nodded in approval, as Teyla and Daniel winced. Rodney frowned.

"What? What was that for?"

"We are sorry Rodney, but… You saying something will be easy," Teyla began.

"Usually means it's anything but," Daniel finished. Aeris held a hand over her mouth to contain her giggles, as McKay sighed.

"Sure, fine. Doubt the genius! Story of my life…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Deep in the Macalania temple of Yevon…

"You are sure? It bears the markings of the Old Times?"

"Yes Maester. There is no mistaking it." The old, slightly pudgy man walked easily alongside the younger, dark-skinned Crusader, down the dark stone hallway.

"I see. Have you determined it's purpose?"

"We believe it is some sort of device. It resembles ancient portals used throughout Spira long ago," the Crusader went on. They reached a pair of heavy stone doors, which the Crusader easily pushed open. The approached a stone platform, surrounded by the Temple's priests, looking over computer terminals. The Maester allowed himself a smirk at the irony, as he gazed upon the artifact.

"Can you make it work again?" The Crusader nodded.

"Yes, Maester. With time, we will make it function." Maester Wen Kinoc's smirk widened.

"Then continue your work, lad. We will yet unlock the secrets of the Ancestors. And when we do… The unbelievers will be no more."

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_Stay tuned! More to come!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Well hopefully, this chapter will register on the update email alert. If not, I'm really, really screwed._

_Figuratively speaking, of course._

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_May 3rd, 2006  
_

Took us two days to cross the Thunder Plains. I would like to state for the record, that on a scale from one to ten, one being a ferris wheel with a hot date watching fireworks go off, and ten being, oh… A Hiveship, this place definitely rates a _nine._

I got struck by lightening twice. _Twice!_ Saying it hurt like _hell_ is like saying General O'Neill is a tad _eccentric. _Doesn't do the subject justice. Ow. Ow. Ow.

I tried not to use too many potions. We all did, as a matter of fact. They act like painkillers at the same time they're rejuvenating you. Carson would kill for these things, but the side effects are not so great. Felt like I was high as a kite. On the plus side, I was able to dodge a few lightening strikes after my first.

On the negative side… I was giggling the whole time I was trying to release this demon thing from a boulder. Fortunately Auron managed to pull me back in time, and Yuna used some spell or another to sober me up. Which put the pain of the lightening strike right back to _burning my insides up!_

I tried not to complain, I really did. For God's sake, Rikku was screaming everytime there was thunder. She told some story about being electrocuted as a kid… But her nervous looks at Wakka, her whole demeanor, and the fact that being _electrocuted_ doesn't produce thunder… I asked Lulu about it, and she sighed.

"We heard about this from her father, since she is Yuna's cousin," she stated quietly, as we were in the rear guard position (Not like _that_, Rodney! I know if you ever find this you'll be screaming _Oh my God, he's Kirk!_ Hopefully you got it out of your system a while ago, but knowing you…), and thus everyone else ahead and unable to hear us.

"She was caught in an ambush by Yevon raiders, when she was playing on the beach," Lulu went on. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Post traumatic stress, huh?" At her confused look, I elaborated.

"It's a psychological condition that certain people develop after going through trauma. Soldiers go through it sometimes after being through a heavy firefight, civilians after a natural disaster…" Lulu nodded.

"Yes… So anything similar to such events, such as the boom of the thunder, will bring back the memories of that experience. That about right?" At my nod she sighed.

"You see then why she wouldn't tell the truth," the gothic witch concluded.

"Not wanting to piss off the religious extremists. That's a fairly valid motive."

We made it to a shelter near the end of the plains, where Yuna decided to share her decision on Seymour's proposal: She was going to say yes.

On one hand… Sort of relieved, because I can make that disconnect from her emotionally if she's married. On the other, _it's Seymour!_ The guy practically _screams_ "I'm a psycho! Mwahahahahahaaa!"

Tidus looks like he got the wind knocked out of him. Poor kid… He needed to latch onto something, after being knocked a thousand years into the future… Which is now being taken away from him, in his view. Auron's about the job, Kimari looks… Per his usual, Wakka's a bit concerned, Rikku is trying to be happy for her cousin, Lulu is obviously concerned but trying to hide it, and me… Well… I've already done me.

Why hasn't Atlantis found me yet? Was that the _Daedalus_ up there that was destroyed? Was my team on it? If they were… Was I written off because the ship was taken down? I can understand that, I guess… Losing an entire ship to rescue one man makes most people reconsider the whole "no one gets left behind" deal. Trading over 200 lives for one… I'm never sure if it's worth it. I never will be. I do know, however, that you _have_ to _try _to rescue someone left behind. And I guess I got my attempt. Which failed.

… Looks like I get to keep my current job then. Keeping a certain stubborn Summoner safe, and trying to find a way to defeat Sin that _doesn't_ involve her having to die.

No problem… I've done things like this before. I can handle it.

… I am so completely screwed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They'd parked the Puddlejumper a little ways away from the huge city. Based on what they'd gotten from the trading post, they'd forgoed the P-90s. Ronan wasn't bothered (he had his sword and various knives), nor was Aeris (with her staff, Princess Guard) or Teyla (she'd picked up some suitable fighting sticks). Daniel, after his training with Jack, Sam, and Teal'c, was confident in his hand-to-hand skills but still kept a zat gun tucked away in his backpack. Rodney, of course, was less than enthused about carrying only a Wraith stunner in his own pack.

"Look, all I'm saying is that our guns have a _much_ bigger advantage if we get into a fight," Rodney was saying, looking rather irritated. Ronan rolled his eyes.

"You'll be fine."

"_Fine?_ Easy for you to say, Tarzan, but some of us haven't been trained to kick someone's ass with no weapons!" They soon passed through the city gates, the majority of the colors making up the ancient city being shell gray, light blues, and silver. Teyla scanned the crowds while keeping up the conversation.

"Are you forgetting the time with Lieutenant Ford's guards, Rodney?" Teyla asked with a serene smile, as they moved past various stalls with merchants plying various wares. Rodney sputtered.

"That was different! I had taken a _huge_ amount of the enzyme, which, by the way, _nearly_ got me killed!" Aeris shook her head, exchanging an exasperated look with Daniel. The archaeologist shrugged, still taking down notes.

"The city's called Bevelle, and looks to be the capital of the religion Yevon," Daniel spoke. "If we're going to find where Colonel Sheppard is, finding out where his Summoner was last is probably our first goal." Rodney paused in his rant, before nodding. Technically he was the highest ranking member of the team.

"Right, okay… So, were do we find out this info?" Daniel pointed up at the central tower of the city. Rodney raised an eyebrow, as Aeris shook her head.

"It looks… Like a carnival slide," the Ancient girl observed.

"Heck of a lot of flags," Rodney put in. Daniel, looking a bit intrigued, stopped and looked it over.

"Huh… The whole thing resembles a flight of stairs, running up to a platform. An economic version of Mount Sinai."

"Mount what?" Asked Ronan. Daniel licked his lips.

"Well, like most cultures, long stairs represents a climb up a mountain, indicating a journey. In this case, a journey upwards to enlightenment, which fits with a religious-based state."

"The people see how much farther they have to go?" Teyla asked. Daniel nodded.

"Or, how far away they are from their leaders," Aeris noted. She shook her head. "Just like Shinra… Physically putting themselves above the 'common' people." She turned her head to Daniel and smiled. "Truth be told I like your people's idea. Having your leader's home on the same level as everyone else's. Considering that many who are not in your government have better homes…" She shrugged.

"Well, let's not dwell too much on the architecture people. We need to find Sheppard. C'mon, move out," Rodney directed in a commanding tone. He set off for the tower first, leaving the others to follow after staring after the Canadian for a moment.

"He is usually not this commanding?" Aeris muttered to Teyla. The Athosian woman smiled.

"No… Only when someone he cares about is missing…"

Ronan paused, and directed a glare at a few men dressed in robes and armed with spears staring at them. They quickly averted their eyes as the tall warrior nodded and moved on. Soon after, they sent a messenger ahead to the temple, indicating that several people with insignia similar to that worn by the infamous Colonel Sheppard had arrived…

- - - - - - - - - - - -

High above Spira, a hyperspace window burst into existence, as the mighty Earth vessel _Daedalus _emerged and easily coasted into a stable orbit around the planet.

"Doctor McKay, this is _Daedalus,_ please respond. Doctor McKay's team, Doctor Jackson, please respond." Lieutenant Kleinman shook his head and turned to Colonel Caldwell. "No response, sir." The colonel nodded.

"Hermiod? Any progress?" Down in the engineering section, the Asgard engineer of the _Daedalus_ worked at his control console.

"None as yet, Colonel. The interference from the planet's Lifestream continues to hamper our communications. It is possible that getting closer to the planet would aid in our efforts to contact the team, or Colonel Sheppard." The colonel, back on the bridge, grimaced.

"How much closer?"

"… Within the upper atmosphere at the very least."

"Can we still communicate with Atlantis if we do?"

"Unlikely." Caldwell sighed. He turned to the comms op at the far end of the bridge.

"Lieutenant, relay a message to Atlantis. Inform them that we are proceeding into the atmosphere of the planet to try and contact any of our people on the surface. Sound alert stations and secure the ship for atmospheric entry."

"Aye sir." As various announcements went on over the ship's intercom, and personnel rushed to their duty stations, Caldwell turned to Sergeant Bunn on his left. The stocky blonde woman was here on her first trip to Pegasus, her face stony and determined. The colonel allowed himself a smile. _First time's always the most serious…_

"Sergeant, take us in." He ordered.

"Yes sir," she responded, as the large vessel accelerated for the planet.

"We're approaching the interference sir," Kleinman warned. "Fifteen seconds to threshold!"

"Shields up! All hands, brace yourselves!"

The _Daedalus's_ shields glowed vibrantly as they came in contact with the world's strange field of interference, and even more so as the great starship crossed into the atmosphere, the heat of entry whipping orange and blue streams of plasma across the energy bubble, before the vessel vanished into the clouds.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Please review! I've put a lot of effort into this baby and I'd like to know how I'm doing!_

_Mid-season break of Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: SG-1 is almost over! WOO HOO!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Took me long enough, huh? Sorry, writer's block, real life and other junk have been getting in the way. Plus the hiatus… I NEED MY STARGATE! (shivers) STARGATE IS GOOD FOR ANDREW!_

… _Ahem. Sorry you had to see that…_

_Anyway, as to the time differences-Mckay Daniel, Aeris, Teyla, and Ronan arrived on Spira on May 3rd. They've been on the world for two full days now, unable to operate very actively because of Sin. The _Daedalus_ has reached the planet and entered its atmosphere on May 5th. John and Yuna's party reached Macalania on the 4th, and John wakes up at Home the next day._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_May 10th, 2006_

… I'm not sure where to even begin, really. Everything that's happened is… Well… Weird even for me. For a guy who went to another galaxy, who fights space vampires, who has lived in an alien cityship a million years old on an ocean billions of lightyears from home.

Listen to my story. This may be our last chance… Tidus isn't so bad… Wasn't so bad…

Right. Getting ahead of myself… I do that a lot.

Where was I…?

Right.

We'd crossed the Thunder Plains to Macalania. It's cold here, blizzard-force winds whipping around at all hours of the day and night. Glaciers, snow beasts… Lulu kept us warm with her magic, and managed to teach me a fairly simple fire spell.

It is easily in the top ten list of most awesome things I've ever done. I mean, _fire._ Just by willing it!

Er, right… Curbing my inner pyromaniac now.

Anyway, we finally made it to the temple. Yuna had been pretty quiet the whole trip, but even more so during this last leg. We didn't have long to wait to find out _why._

Seymour's father had been murdered… By Seymour himself. But this was only the tip of the ice berg as far as Big Bird was concerned. The _real_ reason the Summoners keep failing to stop Sin, is because their Final Aeons _become _Sin, when they're used. They only destroy Sin's old body, and then their own summons turn on them. Seymour's marriage to Yuna was part of his all-over plan to first subdue Spira, and then destroy it utterly. To end the cycle of misery, death, and rebirth.

Doctor Kevorkian has nothing on this guy. Had nothing… Damnit. I keep getting ahead of myself…

Anyway, Yuna was apparently only agreeing to Seymour's deal in order to confront him, as what LOOKED like his father had given her a sphere recorder from beyond the Farplane. I hadn't gone in, neither had Rikku or Auron, so we just sat on the steps, occasionally looking back in at a world of the dead.

McKay says it's some giant monitoring room for the energies flowing around inside Spira that often take on the forms of those who have made an emotional impact on our lives. In other words, all in one's head. He's not very popular on Spira right now…

Right. Back to Seymour and Yuna. She'd confronted him in this giant icy amphitheatre within the temple, doing the typical super-villain dramatic reveal of his plans. Lost points for a less-than-convincing evil laugh-And with how easily we kicked his ass, even WITH that giant Aeon of his making us feel quick bursts of agony.

I've felt worse though… Unfortunately, before we could kill him, his attendants rushed in and carried him off. Judging by his wounds I didn't think he had long. Aside from having to still stop Sin and escape the Temple of Bird People Doom, I'd have to peg this as a win.

Until our escape brought us to a frozen-over underground cavern… Which we fell into. Things after this are sketchy… I hit my head pretty hard, but after a cure spell hit me I found myself in a warzone.

Al Bhed were all around me, in a huge building of some sort. Rikku finally found me, saying how Jecht had brought them all here (Who?), and that Yevon was attacking. We grabbed as many refugees as we could, she and I. She's a damn good shot with a pistol, and we'd cleared through the Guado and fiends in no time. This is when I met her father.

He took one look at me and turned to Rikku, saying something that made her blush. When I found out what it was later… Let's just say I haven't met many fathers who felt that way with their daughter's choice in men.

McKay is going to _love_ this…

So we got to the thing they'd been trying to salvage when they first picked me up. It was a ship. Not a sea-going ship, or a space ship. No, this ship was for the inbetween-An airship, but it sure as hell wasn't any corporate blimp. As we scrambled on, we finally ran into Tidus, Auron, Khimari, Lulu, and Wakka. They were all okay…

Wait… We're missing someone… Shit.

Yuna! She'd been taken by the Yevon forces the day before. I quickly got past the "I've been out for a _day?"_ thing, and immediately agreed to going in and saving her. Seymour works fast-He was holding her at a grand wedding at the main tower thingy in the Yevon capital, Bevelle. So, we made a beeline for it.

Until this giant, flying dragon thing appeared at two o'clock, apparently some kind of guardian Aeon for the city. There was only one way to deal with this thing…

Going outside… And fighting it.

… What. The. Hell? Was Rikku's dad insane?! Didn't they have weapons on this thing?

I was just about to voice my objections… When the dragon thing got the full force of a Mk. III naquada-enhanced warhead, carried by an SM-6 aerospace missile.

Launched by the one ship I'd never thought I'd see again…

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

(_Switch to real time mode!)_

Colonel Cauldwell nodded in satisfaction as the creature was vaporized, only a cloud of ash remaining that was soon swept away by the high-altitude jet streams.

"Sergeant Bunn? Can you raise Colonel Sheppard?" The woman nodded.

"Aye sir, you're patched in."

"Colonel? You there?" A burst of static, then:

"_Colonel? Sir? It's been a while… Long time no see."_ Cauldwell smiled and ignored the whoops from various crewmembers in the back.

"Likewise, Colonel. What's your status?"

"_Oh, the usual… Rushing off to rescue the damsel in distress," _Sheppard replied calmly. Cauldwell blinked… Then sighed.

"Is this another 'I don't want to know' situation?"

"_Possibly sir. Anyway, if you could get a beam lock on me and a few others...?"_ Cauldwell turned to Lieutenant Kleinman, who shook his head.

"Sorry Colonel, the planet's Lifestream is interfering with the beaming technology."

"_Lifestream…?"_

"Long story. Anyway, Dr. McKay took your team through this world's Stargate, but we haven't been able to raise them for quite some time. It looks like they may be in the vicinity of where you're headed."

"_We'll see if we can find them, then. In the meantime, sir, if you'd kindly take care of the CAP?"_ Cauldwell turned to Kleinman.

"Looks like several dozen air defense vehicles, sir… No occupants, must be drones… And air-search radar is powering up in the city." Cauldwell nodded.

"We'll take care of it, Sheppard. In the meantime, try not to get killed playing hero."

"_I haven't yet, sir,"_ Cauldwell heard, and could so easily imagine Sheppard's smirk behind it. "_Sheppard out."_

"Incoming, two dozen enemy drones," Bunn reported. "Railguns armed and ready." Cauldwell nodded.

"Open fire!"

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_Yes, certainly very different from the game, hm? Sorry again for the short update. Don't worry, next few chapters will wrap up this story for sure. R&R!_


	16. Chapter 16

_YES! STARGATE RETURNS! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAA! So, here we go with new chapters, hopefully closing out the story within the next two chapters at most._

_All this is happening in "real time" now._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_

Yuna bit her lip, wincing at Seymour's hard grip on her arm. The Maester smirked, looking out over the huge city in triumph.

"Are we ready to begin?" Asked the priest. Seymour nodded.

"Indeed… The infidels have no doubt fallen and-" An acolyte rushed up the steps of the tower, ascending to the topmost platform. He whispered frantically into the ear of one of the honor guard, who turned to the Maester and made the prayer sign.

"Maester Seymour, the Al Bhed ship has-" _KABOOM!_

All eyes turned to the source of the explosion, as the anti-aircraft gunnery turrets surrounding the tower opened fire. Another one was blown to pieces, and another, till all of the turrets were silenced. The troops raised their rifles uncertainly, as two angular birds, resembling vultures, flew high overhead.

The Al Bhed airship roared into view, and amidst continuous fire from the group troops fired anchor cables into the tower stairs.

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_

"So wait! I just jump on these things and _surf_ down?!" John yelled over the roar of the engines and gunfire. Tidus smirked at him from his own cable in the "hanger deck", as John had mentally dubbed it.

"If you're too scared…" The blond taunted.

John rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's it bleached boy." The colonel, seeing no other alternative, pulled out a spare belt from his pack and wrapped it around the huge coil.

"Well, as they say on my planet… GERONIMO!" John slid down the cable, clinging to it like a fireman to a pole. He landed with a tumble to the carpeted steps of the tower, P90 already out and firing. He took down four guards before moving forward, scattering the guards higher up on the tower as they tried to take cover.

Behind him, Tidus landed easily from surfing down the cables, joining Sheppard in laying down suppressing fire. Lulu, Khimari, Auron, Wakka, and Rikku all followed, fighting their way up the tower. Lulu blasted apart groups of enemies, while John and Tidus took down the individuals. Auron and Khimari cut through the defensive robots, while Rikku merrily supplied grenades to the fortifications.

Wakka, per his usual, just threw his ball. More often than not bouncing it off the heads of guys John or Tidus had already nailed. John managed _not_ to smirk.

Really.

At last, the group faced Seymour and his guards, behind which stood Yuna.

"Well well, Colonel Sheppard, I must salute your tenacity." The mad Maester smirked. "You strike me as a man who would fight his way through the Farplane itself to save the ones you love." John narrowed his eyes at the Maester, gaze shifting ever so slightly to Yuna, who stared back.

"You're not as dumb as you look," the colonel returned flatly. Yuna at this had a very noticeable blush. Seymour's smirk became more pronounced, as the reserve Yevon troops began filing in from more staircases and walkways to the tower. The Maester saw John's gaze shift about, as Auron and Khimari took defensive positions to the rear of the group.

"You do realize you are hopelessly outnumbered, Colonel Sheppard," Seymour simpered. "But, if you surrender, your lives may yet be spared."

"Hmph. Indeed. Mercy from the dead," Auron snorted.

"I would not be talking right now, Sir Auron," Seymour returned. Abruptly he spun around and struck Yuna, who fell to the tower floor in a heap.

"Oof!"

"Yuna!" Shouted Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku. John glowered.

"You agreed to this whole wedding, just to send me? Truly Lady Yuna, you are Lord Braska's child. His determination and courage live on in you," Seymour mused, as Yuna got back up with a glare.

"They are my own, Maester Seymour…" Yuna backed away towards the edge of the platform. The group followed her with their eyes as Seymour watched in amusement.

"As I will demonstrate!"

"YUNIE, NO!" Rikku screamed as Yuna closed her eyes and fell back. John shoved his way through the guards, Tidus right on his heels, to the edge. Seymour followed, peering over in an almost bored fashion, as Yuna summoned Valefore in mid-air and flew down for the lower sections of the vast Bevelle temple.

"Holy…" Tidus began. Auron sighed.

"Always was a hothead," the old samurai muttered. Seymour turned to face John, who glared defiantly back at the Maester.

"Colonel John Sheppard. I know not what nation you come from, but rest assured-When this is done, we will have found where it lies and added it to Yevon's holy domain."

John merely smirked back.

"I wouldn't count on it, Bird Brain." At that moment, a Puddlejumper flew into view near the tower behind John, and rotated around while opening it's rear hatch. John threw a flashbang into Seymour's face and ran, Tidus, Auron, Lulu, Rikku, and Khimari joining him while leaping onto the craft's lowered ramp.

_BANG!_ Seymour staggered back, gripping his face while screaming in agony, as the group stumbled into the 'Jumper and the hatch closed, flying away from gunfire.

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_

"_Perfect_ timing, guys," John grinned, as he stumbled to the cockpit of the 'Jumper. Teyla turned her seat and smiled broadly at him, while McKay gave him a smirk from his controls. Ronan eyed the odd assortment of people now trying to get their balance in the back of the 'Jumper, while a glasses-wearing man John recognized as Daniel Jackson, and a long-haired woman he didn't recognize, tried to talk things out with them.

"Well, we thought you'd enjoy a thrilling, dramatic escape and-Who the heck are all those people anyway?!" McKay shouted. Sheppard sighed.

"It's… A long story… But right now, we've gotta get Yuna."

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_

Yuna panted, standing on her hands and knees before the fayth of Bahamut. Slowly she lowered her head. Her brow was slick with sweat, her face pale, but she was still smiling.

She had it… The next-to-last Aeon… Her journey was nearly over.

Nearly over…

""_Well… If my people ever find me, I promise… We'll find some other way of defeating Sin. And we'll make it so no one else ever has to die in defeating it. I promise."_

"John," she murmured sadly. She'd grown very fond of the strange man during the pilgrimage. He had such hope, such tenacity. It burned brightly, like Tidus's, but he still wore the mannerisms of an old soldier, like Sir Auron. He was witty, kind, and even when so far from home, willing to put everything on the line for people he hardly knew.

If Earth had produced a man like John Sheppard… What kind of place was it?

Yuna wanted so badly to see it, to go with John and see the wonders of his world…

But how could she? Her fate… It seemed written in the very stone foundations of the temple around her. Even now, the wall facing her read from the Book of Yevon:

"Those who choose the path of Yevon can walk no other way."

This wall abruptly came apart as a brightly glowing thing blasted through it. Yuna ducked, crying out, as the projectile flew over her head and turned back around, smashing once more through the wall and clearing a wide opening into the abyss beyond.

"Yuna! You there?!" Yuna looked up to see John… In some kind of strange vehicle. It John, numerous other people who wore the same uniform as he did, and her friends. Rikku waved excitedly.

"What… What is that thing?" Yuna asked shakily. John grinned.

"My friends came with my ride…"

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(_Back to journal mode!)_

_May 10__th__, 2006_

I have to admit, that was probably the most explosive rescue/escape I'd ever been involved in. By simple number of explosions. Yes, I counted.

Anyway, once we'd picked up Yuna, I had us fly out of there to get picked up by the _Daedalus, _which was descending from wiping out Yevon's _very_ large number of defensive drones with ease. Auron, Lulu, and Yuna all protested about this-They didn't want to end the mission-But the colonel wanted me back, and truth be told, Spira was probably not the safest place for them to be right now.

Auron protested even more when the _Daedalus_ began to ascend out of Spira's atmosphere. He nearly ran through several SFs, and Dr. Jackson had to zat him to get him to calm down. What was his problem anyway?

… Aside from him beginning to fall apart. Tidus also began to fade, like he was disintegrating into fireflies.

Only these were pyreflies… The same thing the Aeons and fiends dissolved into when they were out of energy or killed.

Caldwell had the _Daedalus_ stay in a low orbit, which stabilized Auron and Tidus. Just enough for them to fall into near-comas and be taken to the infirmary.

Yuna was in tears, and stayed at Tidus's side for the next 24 hours while I was debriefed. I told them everything I'd been through, the situation with Sin and Yevon, Seymour…

I have to admit, if I'd been listening to me at the time I wouldn't have believed a word of it. Even with the whole being-in-another-galaxy thing.

But McKay came in with the sensor readings they'd gotten from Yuna summoning Valefore, Sin itself, and Spira. Working with that long-haired girl (Aeris, an expert on… What was the word… 'Metaphysical planetary phenomena'?), they'd come up with a theory.

The pyreflies, Sin, the fiends, and Tidus and Auron… They were all constructs of ascended energy. Technically, they were partially ascended themselves. It was an energy that comes directly from the dimension the Ascended Ancients inhabit. Unlike the Ancients though, this energy was "fused" with normal energy and matter, which allowed it to do a lot of things that shouldn't be possible with real space physics.

Such as magic. Lulu was able to tap into this energy, the entire _planet_ of Spira was saturated in it, and could convert it into other forms of energy (plasmas, solids, gases, liquids) through will and objects that focused the energy. She demonstrated a few simple spells and McKay went wild over it… And over Lulu a bit as well.

God I missed this… Missed them…

But yeah, off topic.

The Aeons and fiends and Tidus and Auron were also constructs of this energy. Aeris likened it to fossilization-Their original bodies were converted, somehow, into mostly ascended energy. The fiends were converted into monsters from people or animals caught up in the energy field because they couldn't consciously dictate how they were to 'ascend', while the Aeons seemed to have been 'ascended' with some design or program controlling how they did it. Tidus and Auron, well… I'll get to that.

No matter the case, while they were in Spira's 'ascended energy field', they stayed stable because they were provided a constant power source that kept the construct from coming apart. Get away from that field, and well…

They're melting, _meelllting…_

Ahem. Sorry about that.

When Auron woke up, we finally managed to put the last pieces of the puzzle together.

Yevon had been the ruler of Zanarkand a thousand years ago, and was outnumbered and outgunned by the technologically superior nations around him. He didn't have their advanced airships, warships, or fighting machines, but what he did have was access to the technology of the Ancients.

The Ancients had apparently found a world like Spira in the Milky Way-called Planet-that was linked somehow to the Ascended dimension and drew power from it. This energy took the form of a massive network within the world itself called the Lifestream.

On Spira, Ancients fleeing from the Ori's plagues in the Milky Way applied what they had learned from Planet and tried to harness the planet's Lifestream. They found ways of bringing back the dead, creating entire cities and beings out of the energy-You name it, they did it. The majority of the Ancients didn't know about this because, like in the Milky Way, these Ancients (Cetra as they called themselves) were very isolationist.

After bringing human clones to Spira and having them become fruitful and multiply, the Ancients died out. Why, no one knows. But, a few thousand years later found the humans left behind with their own nations and prepare to go to war.

Yevon, however, had a plan. He converted his entire population and city into ascended energy-A vast, indestructible construct that could never die or be destroyed. He did this by turning most of his population into 'fayths'-People who were linked into Spira's Lifestream and put into some kind of suspended animation. Their thoughts, with the Ancient's technology, shaped Ascended Zanarkand.

Taking with him his own group of fayths, Yevon created a huge partially ascended vehicle, ship, weapon thing for him to "pilot". This thing was called Sin, and when Yevon and Sin merged, the thing was tasked with destroying Zanarkand's enemies.

And it did so. Very, very efficiently. So efficiently that the nations in question were willing to do anything to be spared. One of Yevon's non-ascended followers came to Bevelle and told their leaders that Sin was the punishment of the gods on Spira's machine cities for straying from "the path". And only by embracing their religion could they be saved.

Easily one of the biggest scams any of us had ever heard of. And like the best scams, it kept itself running. Sin kept attacking any city or nation that tried to develop more advanced technology, to keep Ascended Zanarkand safe. It attacked any nation that got it's hands on Ancient technology to keep Ascended Zanarkand safe. And whenever a summoner managed to beat it, Yevon just took over that Aeon and the cycle resumed.

Wakka was _really_ not happy to hear all this, and looked like he would bolt at any time… But the big guy was stronger than I thought. He stayed on to hear the rest of the tale, holding Lulu's hand in the infirmary.

Every time Sin was defeated, ten years would pass (the Calms) and then Sin would return.

But last time, something changed. Apparently, Yuna and Tidus's dads had gone on a pilgrimage with Auron years ago. Tidus's dad, Jecht, had somehow escaped Ascended Zanarkand. He didn't know how he'd ended up in the 'Real World', he just had. No red or blue pill to help.

Anyway, Braska (Yuna's dad) and Auron figured out that Jecht was mostly made up of ascended energy after infiltrating the main Yevon temple. And found out the truth behind Yevon and Sin. So, these three guys, as three guys seem prone to do on any world, came up with a plan.

A brilliant, crazy, incredible plan.

Jecht would become a fayth, and create an Aeon for Braska to summon. That way, when they defeated Sin, Jecht would _become_ Sin. Braska died, as did Auron, but Braska had used some Ancient technology to ensure that when Auron was converted by Spira's Lifestream into Ascended energy, he stayed himself and not a fiend.

So there it was. Auron was supposed to lead Yuna and her Guardians to finding out the truth for themselves, so they could find a way to defeat Sin once and for all.

And I kind of mucked up the plan. Well, technically the _Daedalus_, my team, Atlantis, _and_ myself mucked up the plan, but yeah, mostly me.

Caldwell wanted to help. After all, the Cetra's technology could definitely help against the Wraith _and_ the Ori. Of course, the big question was… How do we do that?

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_The final chapter next time!_


End file.
